Teens Are Considering ‘Influencing’ & OnlyFans ‘Modeling’ as Valid Career Options
As a child, I dreamed of being a famous movie star or a pop singer or an Olympic gymnast. Now, kids today have another aspirational career goal — one that’s much more easily attainable. According to recent reports, teens are viewing social media “influencing” and OnlyFans “modeling” as valid career options after high school.
Approximately 57 percent of Gen Zers would become an influencer if given the chance, according to a 2023 report by Morning Consult, per CNBC. “No-frills, direct-to-cam and low-editing content does well on TikTok, so it’s broadened the amount of people who feel influencing is accessible to them,” brand analyst at Morning Consult Ellyn Briggs said. She said teens feel they “can easily make a career in influencing.”
A 2021 study by YouGov found the most popular dream job of teens is professional streamer/vlogger/YouTuber (11 percent), beating out doctor or nurse (8 percent), musician (7 percent), actor (7 percent), and professional athlete (7 percent).
And it’s not just influencing. Many teens think about a career as an OnlyFans model, a platform that sells erotic content creation. A June 2025 study in Sexuality & Culture surveyed high school students in Spain and found that adolescents ages 12-16 are aware of and access OnlyFans and perceive the platform as an “attractive professional alternative, especially for girls who meet the canons of beauty.”
In an era of increasing teen burnout — a previous survey of SheKnows’ Teen Council found over 90 percent of teenagers admitted to feeling stressed frequently or occasionally, with academics on the top list of stressors — it’s no wonder that teens are considering untraditional career paths outside of going to college or getting a job. Continuing your education or going through job interviews sounds exhausting if you’re already burned out in high school. Why do that when you could make easy money by becoming an influencer, narrating your video games on Twitch, or selling videos of your body on OnlyFans?
Obviously, some people make really great money on TikTok or other platforms, and parents can’t tell their kids what to do after they turn 18. However, if you feel like your teen only wants to pursue influencing or modeling because they are too overwhelmed by any other option (or they feel like they have no other option), then parents can do their best to help them think through all the options.
After all, teens are wired for poor decision-making. “Teen brains are still developing — especially the parts involved in planning, impulse control, and long-term thinking,” Dr. Jeff Temple, PhD, psychologist at UTHealth Houston, previously told SheKnows. “At the same time, the emotional and reward-seeking parts of adolescent brains are super active. That means teens are more likely to act quickly, especially in emotionally charged or high-pressure situations.”
So if they randomly decide to drop out of college to apply to live in “the Bop House,” it may not be completely coming out of left field. By having open conversations (not lectures) with your teens about their options after high school, encouraging them and trying to ease the pressure they’re feeling, hopefully you can help them find a career path that is right for them. And if they still want to be an influencer, you have to ask yourself: is it all that different from teens who move to California to pursue their dreams of making it in Hollywood? It’s maybe not what you would do, but at least you can understand the desire.
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