How Social Media and Fortnite Influence Teen Spending Habits

Author: Raymond Li

Editors: Goldman Tian and Anina Ma

Most people think social media and video games are just entertainment, but they significantly influence how teens think about money. The article “Teens, Social Media and Technology 2022” by Pew Research Center explains how often teens use platforms like TikTok and Instagram. This constant exposure directly affects how they spend. These ideas connect perfectly with Fortnite, where skins, emotes, and battle passes are only a click away. Buying these things is high cortisol activities that you do not want to be partaking in.

According to the Pew Research Center, a majority of teens say they use TikTok and Instagram daily, with many online “almost constantly.” When influencers post Fortnite gameplay featuring rare skins or new cosmetics, teens see those purchases as normal. The Fortnite Item Shop rotates daily, creating urgency. When teens scroll through social media and see their favorite influencer using a new skin, they may feel inclined to buy it too.

Just like ads during the Super Bowl make people want new products, influencer culture makes teens want in-game cosmetics. Social proof plays a big role. If everyone in your lobby has the newest skin, default skins start to feel embarrassing. The truth is that skins are purely cosmetic, and it does not help you reach ranks of Unreal.

Fortnite uses V-Bucks, a virtual currency. This makes spending feel less real. Instead of thinking “I just spent $20,” teens think, “I only spent 2,800 V-Bucks.” Social media is like feeding a 5-year-old some sugar. It hypes up limited-time skins and collaborations. When Fortnite partners with brands, movies, or celebrities, TikTok fills up with clips showing them off. I even fell victim to this by buying a Goku skin after seeing it numerous times online.

Limited-time offers create fear of missing out. When creators say, “This skin might never come back,” our teen monkey brains buy everything and waste our hard-earned cash. Social media builds up the hype and makes you spend more when you should be saving it.

Just like managing money in real life, teens require a strategy for Fortnite spending. You don’t need every skin in the shop. Buying the Battle Pass once and earning rewards through gameplay is way smarter than constantly purchasing cosmetics.

Social media makes spending feel urgent and normal, but discipline matters. The same way you wouldn’t spend your entire paycheck on shoes, you shouldn’t spend every allowance or gift card on V-Bucks.

Success with money, whether in real life or Fortnite, comes from patience and self-control. Scroll smart. Spend smart.

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References

Vogels, Emily A., et al. “Teens, Social Media and Technology 2022.” Pew Research Center, 10 Aug. 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-and-technology-2022/