Big followings mean big opportunities for today's teenage stars.
Where the child actors of yesteryear required big names like Disney to boost their families into wealth, social media apps and platforms like YouTube and TikTok now serve as a way to secure riches, fame, and a healthy work-life balance outside of lending their young personas to Hollywood projects.
A 2023 Morning Consult report revealed that some 57% of Gen Z expressed a desire to become social media influencers. Media and entertainment are the leading industries Gen Z wants to break into, largely due to the creativity and flexibility these positions offer.
Creativity is overflowing among the wealthiest self-made teenagers. Whether it be through excellence in acting performances, utilization of social media platforms to stand out, or unique online presentations of business opportunities, these teens are not content to follow the beaten path—and clearly, that discontent has paid off.
±¬ÁÏTV compiled a list of 11 of the richest self-made teenagers, ranked by their most recently available net worth. Those ranked were under age 20 as of February 26, 2026. If a net worth was only available as a range, the teen was ranked based on the low end of that range; a few were listed as unranked because consistent net worth estimates could not be found. The list is limited to teens who live or work in the United States.
Read on to learn more about some of the richest self-made teens in the U.S.
#9. Donald 'Donlad' Dougher
- Net worth: $1.2 million
- Age: 19
- Source of wealth: Social media
Donald "Donlad" Dougher is a YouTube star with over half a million subscribers. On the platform, he posts lifestyle vlogs, prank videos, and viral challenges. The Californian describes himself as the "Richest Kid in America" and has built a following by showing off his lifestyle and paid product promotions across his social media accounts.
The source of Dougher's income is unclear, though he's claimed publicly that he makes thousands of dollars per month through his social accounts and earns income from stock trading. In the U.S., children must have a guardian open a brokerage account for them. The YouTube personality hasn't posted much since 2022, when the stock market took a serious haircut.
#8. Mason Thames
- Net worth: $1–2 million
- Age: 18
- Source of wealth: Acting
Mason Thames had a breakout year in 2025 that few teen actors could match. The Dallas-born actor—who trained in ballet for four years before pivoting to Hollywood—reprised his star-making role as Finney Blake in "Black Phone 2," led the live-action remake of "How to Train Your Dragon" as Hiccup, and starred in the romantic drama "Regretting You." Thames began acting at 11 with a role on Apple TV+'s "For All Mankind" and earned widespread acclaim for his lead performance in the original "The Black Phone" (2021), which director Scott Derrickson called a rare, unteachable gift. With a sequel to "How to Train Your Dragon" already in production, Thames is one of the most in-demand young actors working today.
#6. Mckenna Grace (tie)
- Net worth: $2 million
- Age: 19
- Source of wealth: Acting
Emmy-nominated Mckenna Grace's promising acting career blossomed thanks to early roles with Disney, and she hasn't slowed down since. Grace has appeared on the hit Hulu series "The Handmaid's Tale," in the Oscar-winning Tonya Harding biopic "I, Tonya," and in the "Ghostbusters" franchise across both "Afterlife" (2021) and "Frozen Empire" (2024). In 2025, she starred in "Regretting You" alongside Mason Thames and appeared in "Five Nights at Freddy's 2." She is set to play Maysilee Donner in the highly anticipated "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping" and has also been cast in "Scream 7." Beyond acting, Grace has released music through Photo Finish Records, including two EPs in 2023.
#6. Isabella Barrett (tie)
- Net worth: $2 million
- Age: 19
- Source of wealth: Fashion design, media
Isabella Barrett is a self-styled millionaire teen designer who has made New York Fashion Week her runway. She first caught the public eye as a young girl on the TLC reality TV series "Toddlers & Tiaras." These days, Barrett runs the brand House of Barretti, where she designs suits for teenage girls. In February 2025, she made her solo collection debut at New York Fashion Week, and returned to the runway again in February 2026 with her Ski Bunny collection.
#5. Mia Talerico
- Net worth: $2.5 million
- Age: 17
- Source of wealth: Acting
Since getting her start on Disney Channel's "Good Luck Charlie" in 2010 as the younger version of the eponymous lead character, Mia Talerico has grown into a social media presence in her own right, with 1.3 million Instagram followers as of late 2025. "Obviously, I was so young that I barely remember a lot of it," Talerico said of her child acting at an August 2025 Destination D23 panel. "But I've heard so many stories and watching it back is truly like a family scrapbook."
#3. Zackary Arthur (tie)
- Net worth: $5 million
- Age: 19
- Source of wealth: Acting
Zackary Arthur is best known for stepping into a leading role on the television show "Chucky" before turning 18. Arthur's performance as Jake Wheeler earned him two nominations for Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Television Series at the Saturn Awards. It isn't Arthur's only role, though: He's also starred alongside Chloë Grace Moretz in 2016's "The 5th Wave" and acted on the Amazon Prime Video series "Transparent." Since "Chucky" was officially canceled in September 2024, Arthur's fans will have to stay tuned to see what he does next.
#3. tana (tie)
- Net worth: $5 million
- Age: 19
- Source of wealth: Music
Steven Lewis, previously known as BabySantana and now simply tana, is a rapper and online personality from Columbus, Georgia. Born in 2006, tana started creating and posting music online to his YouTube account in 2018, when he was only 11. By 17, tana had signed to Republic Records and Galactic Records. Besides boasting 1 million monthly listeners on Spotify, tana has been a supporting act on world tours and released two studio albums and several EPs. He dropped his most recent single, "New Cash," in May 2025.
#2. Iain Armitage
- Net worth: $6 million
- Age: 17
- Source of wealth: Acting
Iain Armitage was the face of the CBS original series "Young Sheldon," in which the teen portrayed a younger version of Sheldon Cooper from the hit 2000s sitcom "The Big Bang Theory." "Young Sheldon" reached its conclusion in May 2024, and he hasn't announced any future acting projects yet—but he has been learning to fly. The son of an actor and a theater producer, Armitage also has his own YouTube channel where he posts critiques of theater productions.
#1. Brooklynn Prince
- Net worth: $18 million
- Age: 15
- Source of wealth: Acting
Brooklynn Prince has established herself as a star on the rise ever since her breakthrough performance as Moonee in Sean Baker's 2017 hit film "The Florida Project," a role she delivered at just 7 years old. Since then, Prince has acted in projects like the blockbuster comedy "Cocaine Bear," the Paramount+ drama "Little Wing," and the Apple TV+ series "Home Before Dark." Prince has spoken publicly about her desire to become a film director as she gets older.
