Young TikTokers Earn a Lot of Money, but Are Psychologically Vulnerable

Energetic, creative and making a lot of money, but many teenage TikTokers suffer from mental pressure and are at risk of mental illness.

Morgan McGuire's college choice was largely based on what she saw on TikTok. As an influencer , she wanted to attend a school with a beautiful campus, interesting events, and weekly soccer games to document in short videos. For nearly two years, posting content on TikTok has been McGuire's job. The 18-year-old has 750,000 followers.

McGuire is one of many high school students who have become famous thanks to content creation. It is almost a "dream" job for a girl, with many benefits from brands and expensive advertising contracts. McGuire started to receive attention thanks to self-tanning videos. From that opportunity, she began studying TikTok's algorithm to optimize the reach of her content. Two years after her first video, Morgan earned $ 81,000 from partnerships with brands and the platform's Content Creator Fund. The money was saved for college.

'At first, I felt like this was unbelievable, but it happened ,' McGuire said.

There is no exact research on the number of influencers like Morgan. However, fame on TikTok has become a "rosy" development path for many students.

Teen creators have a large following because they are also the age group that uses the platform the most. According to a 2023 Pew study, TikTok is the second most popular app among 13- to 17-year-olds. One in five teens use TikTok 'almost constantly.' They like to follow peers like Morgan who are living 'ideal' lives.

But what goes on behind the camera?

In reality, balancing school and being a content creator is difficult. Morgan often has to wake up early to film "Get ready with me" clips and stay up late to plan content and edit videos.

'I prioritized it over sleep. It negatively affected my school work the next day. But I couldn't stop, because I felt like I enjoyed creating content more ,' Morgan said.

Besides her academic performance, her TikTok fame has affected her entire life. Morgan has no time to date, many boys feel awkward around someone famous on social media.

The impact of platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Youtube on adolescent mental health has been widely studied recently. The results are worrying.

Spending three hours a day on social media could increase the risk of developing a mental health disorder, according to an analysis . Experts worry that TikTok's algorithm in particular is contributing to mental health crises among teenage users.

However, there is little research on the health effects of social media fame. In 2022, the Washington Post interviewed dozens of TikTokers, mostly in their 20s and 30s, about the dangers of rapid fame. They described feeling 'overwhelmed by insults or vicious criticism in the comments section.'

'The phrase people often use is 'getting into the dark side of TikTok.' But what happens when the dark side of TikTok is all your friends from school? ' says Casey Fiesler, an associate professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Some high school students struggle to balance being a TikTok influencer with their school life. (Photo: Teen Vogue).

Jaydan Berry, 18, has 182,000 followers. She said sharing her life on the platform was 'satisfying, but not helpful for high school.' At school, she was taunted and teased for her videos.

"I think they're jealous. In this generation, a lot of people want to be famous online. So when someone gets famous, they get jealous ," Jaydan said.

She shares stories about her journey as a Christian teenager, from simple experiences like a day at school to even the fatigue of her menstrual cycle, to money from sponsors and a community of supporters.

No matter how long they've been on the job, young TikTokers still endure online hate and can be vulnerable to vicious comments. Tyjai Jackson, 18, who has 75,000 followers, said fans sometimes create insecurities she's never seen before.

"People are so judgmental about little things, the way you talk, the way you wear makeup, the way you dress. It's stressful," she said.

Dr. Jessi Gold, a psychiatrist and author of How Do You Feel , worries that these negative comments can damage teens' self-esteem . They may start to want to change themselves to fit in with popular tastes. The image they present online is sometimes very different from their real-life selves. In the long run, they have trouble balancing these two selves.

Teen influencers' school life on video is also very different from reality. Peyton Mikolayek, 18, is a freshman at Johns Hopkins University. At first glance, her TikTok account would make you think she had a dream three years of high school.

In her videos, which have been viewed millions of times, she appears bright and cheerful as she paints parking lots and prepares for her senior prom. But in reality, her experiences are far from glamorous. Her videos are sometimes shared in group chats with schoolmates to make fun of her.

'Being an influencer made my high school experience more difficult, but honestly, without it, I don't know how I would have gotten through three years,' she said.

By the time she was a senior, she was being paid up to $7,000 per post. The amount of money high school students make on TikTok is 'pretty staggering,' says Max Elk, a KOL manager at Grail Talent . They have what brands want: a platform with thousands, sometimes millions, of views.

According to ZipRecruiter, the average annual salary for a TikTok influencer is more than $130,000, depending on the number of followers. Some have lucrative contracts , making money from brands. Others make money through affiliate marketing. They can also receive money from the TikTok Creator Fund, based on certain criteria.

In the comments section of Peyton's videos, many young people want to know how to become famous.

'Be aware of what you're getting into,' Peyton advises.

She said she would still choose TikTok, but thinks anyone who wants to pursue this path needs to be mentally prepared for harsh criticism, at a level that can affect mental health .