Teens Using Social Media for Good Deeds

There’s so much bad publicity these days around teens and social media. Cyberbullying, inappropriate postings on social networking sites, apps that put teens in bad situations...problems like these tend to make headlines. But there are also students out there using social media in positive ways—sometimes wonderful, life-changing ways that show you’re never too young to make a difference.

We found some teens using social media for good deeds and worthy causes that we want to share with our readers. Scroll to the bottom, and you'll even find expert tips on building an impactful campaign.

Get ready to be inspired.

1. Building a Brand of Kindness

Max Nadoraski, Lead the Change

Max founded a t-shirt brand called "Lead the Change" to create a kinder world and has spread his message across the country through social media. People in 25 states have now purchased his t-shirts and hoodies, which feature positive messages about the power of kindness, embracing differences, and empathy. Recently the award-winning actor Harvey Fierstein was spotted wearing Max's Empathy t-shirt design on Instagram and Facebook.

He was motivated by his volunteer work with Sphere, an organization supporting adults with disabilities. You'll often catch Max giving members pep talks and helping them learn their parts for Sphere's annual musical production. He donates 20 percent of all proceeds to their cause. For Max, leading the change isn’t just a slogan—it’s a mission.

2. ReThinking Cruel Words Online

Trisha Prabhu, ReThink

When Trisha Prabhu was just 13, she read about a 12-year-old girl who died by suicide after experiencing months of relentless cyberbullying. Heartbroken by the story, Trisha wanted to find a way to reduce the chances of others going through that kind of pain. She invented ReThink, a patented technology that detects hateful speech in a post before it's sent and prompts the sender to rethink their words ("Are you sure you want to say that?"). Her research found that 93 percent of the time, kids who received the prompt ultimately changed their minds.

Trisha later founded the ReThink social enterprise to tackle cyberbullying and find ways to promote a kinder, more inclusive internet culture. She has showcased her work at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, received the prestigious Elevate Prize, and become the youngest person named to Forbes' 30 Under 30 Social Impact list, among many honors she has accrued in her young life.

3. How Nicholas Lowinger used social media to change lives

Nicholas Lowinger, Gotta Have Sole

On the first day of seventh grade, Nicholas Lowinger of Cranston, RI received an unusual gift for a teenager: a 501(c)(3) number for his own nonprofit organization, Gotta Have Sole, Inc., whose mission is to provide brand-new footwear to children living in shelters.

Nicholas’ mission began years earlier, when he accompanied his mother, an art therapist, to family shelters and noticed many kids lacked shoes that fit—or any at all. What started as a bar mitzvah service project grew into a national effort. Working from his family’s garage, Nicholas collected footwear donations, matched sizes through shelter staff, and delivered new shoes, socks, and handwritten notes to children in need. To date, more than 45,000 kids have received new footwear.

Through school clubs and social media campaigns, Nicholas has inspired other students to join the cause, encouraging them to collect donations, volunteer at shelters, and share pledges online using the hashtag #GottaGiveBack. His youth-led model keeps the focus on empowering kids to make a difference in their own communities.

Nicholas has received numerous awards and national recognition, but his goal remains simple: to show young people the power they have to create change—one pair of shoes at a time.

4. Creating a podcast gives teenagers and 20-somethings a voice

Gael Aitor, GrownKid

Gael Aitor and four of his friends  started the Teenager Therapy Podcast while still in high school. They created the podcast after realizing how important it is for teenagers to know there are others going through similar issues as them. At age 15, Gael overheard a podcast for marriage therapy and had the idea of offering something similar for teenagers. 

With their own marketing efforts on social media and no marketing budget, their podcast has accrued a very large following. Today it has evolved into GrownKid, a podcast focused on the early-20s age group and common problems they face, with the same goal: to let listeners know they're not alone and it's okay to be honest about their feelings. (Note: Many of the episodes in this podcast include explicit language. Please preview episodes as a family to determine if this source is appropriate for your teens.)

(Note: Charlie was a 2020 Digital4Good winner)

5. Police officer’s daughter creates non-profit to help children of fallen law enforcement officers cope

Megan O'Grady, Blue Line Bears

Blue Line Bears is a nonprofit organization with the goal of helping the children of fallen law enforcement officers cope with the devastating loss of a parent. Megan O’Grady, the daughter of a police officer, was 14 years-old when she created the organization after realizing many parents risk their lives each time they go to work. 

Blue Line Bears uses the uniforms of fallen police officers to make teddy bears for their families. Through the use of donations and other contributions, Blue Line Bears covers the entire cost of the gift. Their goal is to help keep the officer’s memory alive and to help the child see that there are caring individuals who respect and appreciate men and women in uniform.

6. Texas teens use social media to support disadvantaged students, tackle literacy gaps, and more

Pranav Pattatathunaduvil, Be the Light Youth Association

Pranav Pattatathunaduvil has been the executive director at a fully student-run 501(c)3 called the Be the Light Youth Association since she was 17 years old. Made up of over 30 high-school students from North Texas, they often use social media for good causes.

In July 2020, Be the Light used social media as a way to advertise a book drive for disadvantaged students. Be the Light Team members used platforms like Instagram to set up contactless book pickups from members of the community. They also used social media to reach out to countless people in the area for book donations. As a result, they collected a whopping 2,600 books, over 500 more than their initial goal. They donated the books to the Reading Partners of North Texas and Edufree to help tackle the literacy gap in the region. 

Be the Light members have also used social media to advertise their weekly speech and debate classes for 4th-9th grade students. In 3 years, over 1,400 students have registered for their classes which helped them raise over $100,000. All of the profits are donated to local charities that support disadvantaged children.

7. Teen fundraises to provide elementary school kids with notebooks 

Jack, Kids in Need

Jack, a 16-year-old high school student, has helped supply thousands of elementary school kids with notebooks through Kids in Need, a national non-profit organization that provides school supplies to under-resourced students around the country.

His fundraising page says: 

With a donation of only $6, you could help provide an entire class of students the opportunity to make the most out of their education. ...During difficult times like these, the last thing parents need to be worried about (especially those who are having a difficult time making ends meet) is providing their children with school supplies.

The fundraiser has gathered so much attention online, that the George Shinn Foundation is graciously supporting Jack's effort by matching the donation total. If he raises enough money for 20,000 notebooks, the Foundation will double that amount, supplying young students with up to 40,000 notebooks this upcoming school year.

8. Bullied as a child, teen uses social media to advocate tolerance, kindness, and inclusion

Charles Kolin, Unity Challenge

Charles Kolin is the founder of startup Unity Challenge and is using social media as a way to attract people to join his cause to stop bullying, discord, and hate. 

Charles' advocacy for tolerance, kindness, and acceptance started when he was a child. He was bullied by his grade-school peers due to a neuro disorder that made him different. He was taunted, excluded from groups, and shunned by classmates.

Charles traveled to Washington with his parents to meet with dozens of senators and representatives to share his unity message. He is pushing for a national Unity Day to be recognized on the last Wednesday in October of every year.

“Whether you’ve been bullied like me or you simply have a different point of view on an issue, or you’ve been discriminated against, we need a Unity Day. We need a day where despite all of our differences we are unified for a purpose that is uniquely human .... our humanity itself,” he says.

9. Teen throws memorable birthday celebrations for disadvantaged children

Julia Warren, Celebrate! RVA

Julia Warren had an epiphany a few years ago. For most kids, birthday parties are an annual rite of passage—something usually taken for granted. Yet in Julia’s own hometown of Richmond, Va., there were kids living in poverty who had never had a single birthday party of their own. And this, she decided, was unacceptable.

Julia founded Celebrate! RVA to give disadvantaged children in Richmond memorable birthday parties—with fun food, activities, decorations, and of course, cake—to make sure every child feels loved and celebrated on their special day.

The non-profit organization’s website serves to recruit volunteers as well as donations. The blog shows highlights from recent parties, including special guests like players from the University of Richmond Lacrosse team and even local police who come to celebrate with the birthday boy or girl. She’s spreading the love online while making wonderful memories for countless Richmond children. It’s enough to make her readers want to celebrate, too.

10. Starting at just 9, Hannah has worked to "find solutions by starting conversations"

Hannah Alper, Call Me Hannah

If there’s such a thing as a social-media prodigy, Hannah Alper is it.

Hannah, who is from Toronto, launched her blog Call Me Hannah when she was just nine years old. Her father, Eric Alper, says Hannah’s passion for speaking out about important causes started early on with her love of animals, which quickly spread to concern for threatened habitats and the environment as a whole.

Hannah, now 23, has not only built a huge following for her blog but gained influence through public speaking and so much more. She has 34,000 followers on Twitter, writes for The Huffington Post, and serves as both a Me to We Motivational Speaker and Free the Children Ambassador. Meanwhile, her advocacy has expanded to also include anti-bullying efforts and celebrating other young role models, including Malala Yousafzai.

Hannah goes by a lot of descriptions, from eco-warrior to “kindraiser.” And if you want to know what kindraising is, here it is in Hannah’s own words from one of her Huffington Post blogs: “Kindraising is all about changing our communities and the world through kindness. I believe that it takes more than money to create a lot of change that we’re working on and that compassion, empathy and kindness play a huge part in reaching our goal.”

A Few Tips About Creating a Successful Campaign

Dr. Andrew Selepak, Professor, University of Florida

The past few years I have had students create a semester-long, real-world social media campaign to use social media for the social good. The purpose of the assignment is to show students why online social movements often fail and how difficult it can be to create a social media campaign from the ground up. Students have been successful with their campaigns, raising money and donations for groups like the Boys and Girls Club, homeless shelters, and animal rescues. The idea is that it is difficult to change the world, but it is possible to make small positive changes in the communit that are meaningful for those helped.

Hear more about Dr. Selepak's social media for good deeds examples:

Conclusion

As parents and educators, it might be tough to see the positive side of social media sometimes. But for some teens, it’s not all about finding the best filter for selfies or the latest viral video challenge. Here at SmartSocial.com, it’s our mission to keep kids safe on social media so they can shine online- and these young people are certainly shining examples about the positivity that can be found online.

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“17 Teens Using Social Media for Good Deeds.” SmartSocial, 3 March 2022, https://smartsocial.com/post/teens-using-social-media-good-deeds.