Rethinking social media: a resource for teen entrepreneurship

Social media applications like TikTok and Instagram tend to be teen favorites, but what if all that time spent online isn’t going to waste? Ambitious teenagers today are using their social media time to learn hard skills and create businesses. Many teens carry good heads on their shoulders, motivated by their intrinsic goals and social media content creators.

I recently spoke with Demian, a Burlingame High School student who I found a couple of months ago when I was scrolling on Nextdoor, a community-based app. He was posting about his car detailing business called SM.AutoDetailing and I decided to book a service.

Apart from my car needing a desperate cleaning, I was intrigued to learn more about his backstory. Most people, especially at age 14, don’t wake up and decide to start a business. There is a story behind each beginning. Today, younger generations desire self-employment versus working for an employer. In 2023, Morning Consult and Samsung did a study of 1,000 Gen Zers in the United States. They found that 50% of Gen Zers aspire to be entrepreneurs. They desire ownership and work satisfaction. In a Qualtrics study performed by Intuit Credit Karma, 60% of Gen Z adults ages 18+ said 9-5 jobs are “soul-sucking.”

To some, this might seem like younger generations are intolerable or “lazy,” but Gen Z has been more outspoken about the disadvantages of working a 9-5. They want flexible work hours and to feel like their work has meaning.

 For Demian, his purpose was to help his single mom financially and to have ownership over his time and money. When I asked Demian what the greatest advantage of self-employment was, he said, “That’s the most important thing to me actually, that it’s mine.”

After spending hours watching TikTok and Instagram videos on his phone, the algorithm began to show him content about teen car detailers. He started viewing social media as a source of information and inspiration. At 14, Demian used his savings from helping his grandfather to purchase some cleaning supplies. He practiced with his family’s cars, saved more money and reinvested it into buying a full set of supplies. Now 15, he makes his own schedule and provides value to his clients.

Young entrepreneurs who use social media as inspiration are the minority and there should be more conversations about healthy use of these platforms. Age restrictions don’t help because teenagers can easily lie about their age when creating an account, causing more harm. According to Pew Research, one in five teens on social media struggle with mental health. In 2023, the American Psychological Association announced the first-ever health advisory, providing recommendations to protect youth from social media risks. Knowing this data, I don’t intend to glamorize the idea that teens should only use social media to gain inspiration for starting a business. Conversely, there should be cautionary conversations in their households and more connection. From my observation, teens who feel misunderstood and lack a safe space to express themselves tend to cope through isolation, using social media, and finding ways to connect online. Yet having self-control and being intentional with how social media is used can make it beneficial.

Teens like Demian give me hope in our generation. He turned social media into something that enables him to succeed instead of being oppressed by the algorithm. When I closed my conversation with Demian, I gave him props for being professional, friendly and inspiring. I asked if he had any advice for teens who wanted to start a business.

“Do not give up. That’s the main problem with a lot of people. It just gets hard for them for a long period of time and they just think it’s over, that’s something I notice in a lot of people,” he said. “I have been through that time, I just tell myself I know it is going to get better. ”

Giselle Espinoza writes about health, mental well-being, higher education and entrepreneurship. She brings a Gen Z perspective with a slight coffee addiction.