Kids Aren’t Doomed. They’re Picking Up Pens, Paintbrushes, and Purpose.
There’s a tired narrative we hear over and over again:
“Kids today are addicted to their phones.”
“They don’t know how to talk to each other.”
“They have no idea about the real world.”
But here’s the thing—it's not true.
Last summer, a group of teenagers from Montauk started their own print newspaper. A newspaper. Not a Substack. Not a TikTok series. A 12-page weekly print publication called The Ditch Weekly—written, edited, photographed, and distributed entirely by kids aged 13 to 17.
“We still haven’t done hot dogs,” Teddy said. Billy agreed: Hot dogs should be an editorial priority.
They’re interviewing restaurant owners, covering community issues, reviewing surf spots and sandwiches. They’re biking to interviews, editing drafts at the beach, and selling ad space to pay for printing.
“I have to, like, notify them that I’m a kid,” Harry Karoussos, the paper’s 13-year-old head of sales, estimated that he had made at least 40 sales calls this year.
And they’re learning what every great artist, journalist, and builder already knows: that the act of making something real is transformative.
“We want to inspire youth to find creative ways to market themselves” -Mateen & Yusef Thomas, owners of Muzé Clothing
In just a few weeks the Buffalo Kid Entrepreneurs will be vending at the Buffalo Artisan Fleas Market, and the Buffalo Small Business Development Center’s KidBiz will be showing off all their hand made creations at the Elmwood-Bidwell Farmers Market.
And these kids aren't alone.
More and more, I see young people craving something tangible—something real. This was only reinforced by our Field Trip to Papercraft Miracles last week where owner Janna Willoughby-Lohr took us on a tour of her studio, and shared her passion for making, and making things you could hold, and really evoke emotions.
“I enjoy being at markets because I get to meet people who haven’t heard about my business. It’s great to meet lots of new people in a short period of time.” -Grace Mayle, owner of Braids by Bean
These teens are part of something bigger than a summer project—they’re part of a quiet movement of kids who are rejecting the idea that their value only exists online. They’re writing zines. They’re painting murals. They’re sewing clothes, selling handmade crafts, screenprinting t-shirts, braiding, and starting clubs where creativity and curiosity come first.
They aren’t just consuming content. They’re creating culture.
And they're hungry for more than likes.
“When you’re on your phone, it gets boring after a while,” said Dylan Centalonza, 14, a new writer for The Ditch Weekly
The truth is, kids don’t want to be glued to screens all the time.
They’re just not often given the space or support to make something physical. Something lasting. Something theirs.
What we’re seeing now—from teen-run newspapers to backyard art shows to handmade jewelry sold at farmer’s markets—is a powerful reminder:
This generation is not lost.
They’re finding themselves in ink, in braids, in clay and color and community.
We just have to keep handing them the tools.