The effects of social media on teen mental health have been widely studied, but the impact of TikTok fame is less well known.
Many young people are famous on TikTok and earn a lot of money, but they are under pressure from being famous from a young age - Illustration photo
Part of Morgan McGuire's decision about which college to choose was what she saw on TikTok. She wanted to make sure the campus was beautiful and had interesting events like football games to document in short videos.
Morgan, 17, became famous during the summer of her sophomore year of high school with a video of herself tanning. From that post, she began researching her For You page.
Two years after her first video went viral, today — in 2024 — she says she's earned $81,000 from a combination of brand deals and the TikTok Creator Fund.
The appeal to teen creators is that teens are a large audience on the platform. According to Pew Research data from 2023, TikTok is the second most popular social media app among teens ages 13 to 17 (YouTube is first).
One in five teens say they use TikTok “almost constantly.” When they open the app, they can see peers like Morgan, who have dreams of becoming online celebrities.
A strange new reality is projected for them online, where popular teen creators document everyday moments in their lives.
How much money do famous TikTokers make?
Balancing the demands of being a high school student and a TikTok star in the same day can be tough. Morgan wakes up early to shoot “getting ready for school” videos and stays up late to plan and edit content.
“I prioritized it over sleep,” she said. “It negatively affected the next day at school, but I felt like doing the content was more important because I cared more about it.”
The impact of social media on teen mental health has been widely studied, but the impact of TikTok fame on teens remains less well known.
Many young TikTokers share feelings of pressure from malicious criticism, with the fear of making mistakes on TikTok. Young celebrities face jealousy and even ridicule from their peers.
Another TikToker said he painted his parking space and prepared for his prom in videos that have millions of views. However, the reality was far from it as the video was mocked in a group chat with his classmates.
"Being an internet celebrity made my high school years difficult, I idealized everything to escape reality," she said.
And by the time this TikToker was in 12th grade, she was getting paid up to $7,000 for a single sponsored post.
The amount of money high school students can make on TikTok is “mind-blowing,” says Max Elk, senior talent manager at Grail Talent. Because they have something these brands want: a platform with thousands or sometimes millions of viewers.
Teenagers are spending a lot of time watching clips on social media, including TikTok - Illustration photo
According to ZipRecruiter, the average annual income for a TikTok influencer is more than $130,000, though estimates vary. SocialBook (which puts the average annual income at $121,000) notes, but note that earnings depend on how many followers you have and can be earned in a variety of ways.
Some online celebrities have lucrative brand deals, earning money from brands for posting about their products, while others stand out on TikTok shops or through affiliate marketing.
They can also earn money from the TikTok Creator Fund, which provides payouts to creators who meet certain criteria. However, it’s unclear how much teen creators can earn and whether that’s different from adult creators.
Fame is easily accompanied by scandal, famous people have to be "strong to overcome"
Elk started working with teens on TikTok in 2023, after noticing brands were looking for creators who could appeal to a younger audience.
He finds that working with younger creators is sometimes easier than with adults, as they are used to being on their phones and creating content all the time; their content production speed is faster than that of older creators.
As the average time spent on social media, including TikTok, continues to increase and brands continue to look for creators who tap into youth trends, it can be expected that the number of teenage creators who become famous will also increase.
Peyton - a young TikToker said she receives many questions from her peers wanting to know how to become famous on TikTok?
"Be aware of what you're doing," she advises. "Young people should be prepared to face the strong criticism that fame can bring. You need to be prepared for what people will say, you have to be really tough."
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cac-tiktoker-tre-tuoi-kiem-nhieu-tien-nhung-de-bi-ton-thuong-vi-ap-luc-tu-mang-xa-hoi-20241028102344237.htm
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