Young(ish), mostly famous, and invariably viral: Social media’s top influencers 

US singer/songwriter Billie Eilish bounded around the stage during her performance at the 2021 Global Citizen Live festival at the Great Lawn, Central Park on September 25, 2021 in New York City – Copyright AFP Angela Weiss

A new analysis has revealed which celebrities born in the 21st century command the biggest fan bases and hold the most influence – with Billie Eilish crowned top.

How influence is defined is contentious. There is a gulf between influencing for a social good and with influencing for the sake of income generation, albeit both are noteworthy yet they carry different values. The new survey veers towards the earnings potential of younger ‘celebrities’.

The study by the site Hello Millions examined the Instagram accounts of over 60 celebrities born in 2000 or later. Using Social Blade, the follower counts and average (mean) like count for each account were obtained, and these figures were then analyzed using the Influencer Marketing Hub’s Money Calculator. This identified the estimated earning potential per sponsored post on Instagram for each celebrity if they chose to monetize their account. 

The outcome was:

Top 15 Most Influential Celebrities Under 25 

Thanks to an Instagram following of over 119.8 million fans, the findings name Billie Eilish the most influential celeb under the age of 25. Topping the list by almost double compared to the runner-up, Eilish’s popularity on the platform provides an estimated earning potential of around $381,000 per sponsored post, if the posts were monetized. 

According to the study, Millie Bobby Brown is the second-most influential celebrity. The 20-year-old, who found fame in the global phenomenon Stranger Things has amassed a following of over 63.5 million on Instagram. Five stars of the Netflix series feature in the top ten influential celebrities under 25, but Brown ranks top for the show—with an earning potential of around $202,000 per sponsored post. 

Star of Tim Burton’s 2024 Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Jenna Ortega, places third among the most influential celebrities under 25. Her latest release adds to her impressive filmography; the 21-year-old’s main character credits also include Wednesday and the Scream franchise. This has garnered the actress a stellar fan base of almost 37.8 million on Instagram, translating to an earning potential of over $120,000 per sponsored post on the social media platform.  

Following closely is Olivia Rodrigo, the fourth-most influential celebrity born after the turn of the century. The vampire singer has over 37.7 million followers on Instagram – allowing for potential earnings of up to almost $120,000 per sponsored post, thanks to the support of her loyal fans.  

Despite rising to fame on TikTok, where she has gained more than 88 million followers, Addison Rae has also found success on Instagram. The social media star has amassed an immense 34.8 million Instagram followers – which translates to an earning potential of over $110,000 per sponsored post and ranks her as the fifth-most influential celebrity under 25, as identified by the study.