While driving with friends, Abby Juarez ’26 whips out her phone, opens the camera app and starts a video with an energetic, “What’s up guys?” The clip is a glimpse into her YouTube channel, which she launched in March 2025. Though her channel sits at just 49 subscribers so far, Juarez said she is already envisioning what her platform could become in the future. She imagines her followers swelling into the millions and her vibrant personality and content being recognized in every household across the nation. Juarez said she was inspired to start a YouTube channel by the creators she admired most.
“I’ve always liked watching people on YouTube,” Juarez said. “I wanted to make a channel with my siblings or my parents. Watching other families online, like my favorite creator Jalen Sue, motivated me to finally start. Whether I have 1,000 followers or one, I will always keep the same passion for creating content.”
Juarez said she plans to make more content throughout senior year and implement creativity through her editing.
“I’m planning on having a video series capturing milestone ‘senior moments,’ from senior sunrise to graduation,” Juarez said. “Hopefully, it’ll grow my platform. I’ve already been brainstorming edits and ideas. I’m thinking about trying out new transitions, maybe adding some fun effects and even doing a series that follows a story over a few videos. I just want to make my content more creative and keep my viewers engaged.”
Balancing content creation with the demands of relationships, academics and extracurriculars is challenging, according to a study done by AP Guru. As a Division III field hockey recruit at Smith College, Juarez said her busy schedule makes her more disciplined.
“[Managing] a lot of things, [alongside] field hockey, makes me more organized,” Juarez said. “It’s exciting because I really want to manage it all. Even though my account hasn’t necessarily taken off yet, I have confidence that it will happen.”
Juarez’s enthusiasm reflects a growing trend. Social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube have turned teenagers into media personalities, blurring the line between high school life and professional content creation. A study found that 95% of teens use YouTube, and nearly one-third say they want to become influencers themselves, according to The Pew Research Center. Juarez is not the only teenager chasing this dream. Ashlyn Kim ’26 found success on a very different platform: Pinterest. With almost 400,000 monthly views, Kim said what started as posting pictures from a digital camera with her friends has grown into a successful account.
“It initially started when I got my digital camera a year and a half ago,” Kim said. “My friends and I would always hang out and take pictures. At first, I would just post the pictures for fun and for myself. When I started seeing good results and connecting with a wider audience, I felt inspired to keep going and share more.”
Kim said the platform is less about going viral and more about community and inspiration.
“My posts reflect my daily life, such as what I wear, where I travel and the food I enjoy,” Kim said. “I also create posts about my friends and family, almost like a visual diary. As an artist, I’ve found so much inspiration on Pinterest. Over time, I hope my page can become a space where people discover ideas that spark their own creativity. For me, it’s about getting inspired by others and also inspiring them. Since I do art, I get a lot of inspiration from the pins I see, and hopefully I can inspire others too.”
Jett Jasper ’26, who began his account last summer, said curiosity inspired him to start posting publicly on TikTok.
“Nothing specific inspired me personally,” Jasper said. “I just wanted to try something new and to have some fun. Honestly, I don’t really hit any specific niche or anything, so I don’t tailor my content to anybody. It just felt like a ‘wow, that’s cool’ moment [when I started getting views].”
Although his posts are short, lighthearted videos, Jasper said he will most likely stop posting during the school year.
“I don’t spend that much time a day making videos, probably about 15 minutes max,” Jasper said. “Most likely, I’m not going to spend as much time, with school coming up. I’m probably just going to keep posting videos here and there.”
Becoming a teen influencer comes with unique pressures. Students must juggle an online presence with academics, friendships and sports commitments. Many teens feel pressure to post constantly, maintain a perfect online image or respond to followers, while still keeping up with homework and exams, according to a study done by Psychology Today. Juarez said she tries to navigate these challenges with a grounded sense of purpose.
“I’m not thinking about the numbers right now,” Juarez said. “I just want to make content I enjoy and share moments that matter. It’s like a digital scrapbook of my senior year.”
Juarez said she loves including her friends in her vlogs and filming fun videos with them.
“Some people are curious, some are supportive and some just ignore it,” Juarez said. “Most of my friends just want to be included in the fun, like when we film a clip at field hockey practice or during lunch.”
Her content is also deeply personal. While many teens use YouTube for trends or challenges, Juarez said her focus is storytelling.
“I like seeing what my siblings and parents are doing too, and I want to include them,” Juarez said. “It makes the videos feel like a family memory, not just content for the internet.”
Storytelling and creative expression are part of why teen influencers continue to grow according to Science X Network. Juarez said she edits videos late at night after field hockey practice, brainstorms series ideas during study halls and carefully plans which moments to capture for her channel.
The rise of teen influencers also mirrors a broader cultural shift. Social media has made personal storytelling accessible even in adolescence, according to the Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research. Juarez said for her, influencing is not just about creating entertaining videos, but about expressing herself creatively, sharing her passions and building skills that go beyond social media.
Juarez said she wants her videos to serve as a way to hold on to the small, but meaningful moments of her senior year.
“I want to look back in ten years and remember my senior year,” Juarez said. “Even if only a few people watch, it’s still meaningful to me.”
For today’s teens, influencing is about experimenting, learning and expressing themselves. It is also about navigating friendships, academics, extracurriculars and the experiences of high school life, according to The Pew Research Center. Juarez said her journey as a content creator has allowed her to learn more about herself.
“Being a teen influencer is about figuring things out while still juggling school, friends and sports,” Juarez said. “I want to take risks and push myself creatively. Even if only a few people watch, it’s worth it because I’m learning and growing from the process.”
