15 Social Media Internships for High School Students
Social media is no longer just a creative outlet; it has become a core driver of marketing, advertising, business development, and entrepreneurship. High school students who gain early experience in this space develop a meaningful edge.
What are social media internships for high school students?
A social-media internship allows you to move beyond theory and apply what you’ve learned in class to real campaigns, real audiences, and real brand challenges. By working with professional teams, you see how content strategy, analytics, audience psychology, and platform-specific trends shape business decisions every day.
Why pursue social media internships for high school students?
These internships also help you explore potential career paths, whether that’s creative production, digital marketing, brand storytelling, or managing online communities. Just as importantly, the hands-on experience teaches you how to collaborate, measure performance, iterate quickly, and think strategically about digital communication.
If you’re also interested in marketing summer programs, check here, or look here for marketing internships for high school students.
In this guide, we’ve curated 15 social media internships for high school students, each offering a structured way to build practical skills while contributing to real projects.
Disclaimer: Some of the items below are social media programs that help you develop the skills for pursuing social media internships.
15 Social Media Internships for High School Students
1. Emma Bowen Foundation Summer Internship
Location: Various locations across the U.S. (placements with media, entertainment, and tech partners)
Cost: Fully paid; fellows receive hourly wages set by partner media companies
Program Dates: Typically May–August (8+ continuous weeks; exact dates depend on placement)
Application Deadline: Rolling September–April; final decisions by May 15
Eligibility: High school seniors (18+ by start date) and undergraduates with a 3.0+ GPA; must be U.S.-work authorized
This program places you within the media, entertainment, or tech sector, where roles typically involve digital communication, content strategy, and social media engagement. You may support brand teams on audience growth initiatives, assist newsroom or marketing staff with cross-platform content, or contribute to PR, digital storytelling, and campaign development. Projects vary depending on partner companies, but could range from analytics tracking and asset creation to scheduling campaigns across platforms such as Instagram, X, TikTok, and YouTube. The foundation also offers coaching, networking opportunities, and access to senior media professionals. Because placement is tailored to your interests, many fellows gain direct experience in social media management, digital marketing, or multimedia production.
2. Young Founders Lab
Location: This program is 100% virtual, with live, interactive workshops
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer, fall, winter, and spring
Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort. You can access the application link here!
Eligibility: The program is currently open to all high school students
The Young Founder’s Lab is a start-up boot camp founded and run by Harvard entrepreneurs. In this program, you will work towards building a revenue-generating start-up that addresses a complex, real-world problem. You’ll be mentored by established entrepreneurs and professionals from Google, Microsoft, and X. Apart from building the start-up itself, you will also participate in interactive classes on business and marketing fundamentals, along with workshops, skill-building sessions, case studies, and panel discussions. The program provides space to explore both theoretical concepts and practical frameworks that contribute to building a successful business venture. You can check out the brochure for the program here.
3. KP LAUNCH High School Internship Program – Communications & Marketing Tracks (Kaiser Permanente)
Location: Northern California (Kaiser Permanente sites)
Cost: Paid internship (hourly compensation; amount varies by region)
Program Dates: June 15–July 31
Application Deadline: January 9
Eligibility: High school students meeting program requirements; dependents of KP employees/physicians not eligible; resume + personal statement required.
KP LAUNCH offers paid summer placements across a range of non-medical departments, including Communications, Sales and Marketing, KP Digital, and other teams that support digital outreach and public-facing communication. In the communications-oriented track, you’ll assist with supporting social media campaigns, drafting creative content, or contributing to marketing materials for community health initiatives. Those in marketing or KP Digital roles may work on audience research, content planning, digital asset organization, or campaign execution workflows used in large healthcare organizations. Participants gain experience with professional communication standards and large-scale organizational branding practices while building a network within Kaiser Permanente.
4. Ladder Internship Program
Location: Remote! You can work from anywhere in the world
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Deadlines vary depending on the cohort
Eligibility: Students who can work for 10-20 hours/week, for 8-12 weeks. Open to high school students, undergraduates, and gap year students!
Ladder Internships is a selective start-up internship program for ambitious high school students who want real-world experience early on. As an intern, you will be matched with a high-growth startup and work on meaningful projects rather than simulated assignments. Start-ups that offer internships range across a variety of industries, such as marketing, social media marketing, tech/deep tech, journalism, consulting, and more. Ladder’s partner start-ups are high-growth companies that have raised over a million dollars on average. Past founders included YCombinator alums, entrepreneurs who raised over 30 million dollars, and former professionals from Microsoft, Google, and Facebook. During the program, you'll work closely with your managers and a Ladder Coach on real-world projects and present your work to the company.
5. The Met High School Internship Program
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (open to NJ residents)
Cost: $1,100 stipend upon completion
Program Dates: June – August
Application Deadline: February
Eligibility: Students in grades 10–11 who live in and attend school in New York, New Jersey, or Connecticut; must have working papers and an SSN or ITIN; must not have previously completed a Met internship.
This social media internship for high school students provides an opportunity to work with museum teams across departments such as social media, imaging, education, and design, gaining insights into how large cultural institutions plan, publish, and analyze digital content. You’ll gain experience with workflow tools used in content pipelines, learn how professionals adapt art narratives into platform-specific formats, and develop communication and research skills grounded in real projects. You also participate in cohort sessions where staff discuss career paths and digital strategy within a global museum. The internship offers structured mentorship, opportunities to network with peers and museum professionals, and exposure to behind-the-scenes work across multiple digital and creative units.
6. Get Your Talk On: Creating Your Own Podcast (Quinnipiac University)
Location: Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT
Cost: $1,800 (overnight, 1 week) or $1,500 (commuter, 1 week)
Program Dates: July 20–24
Application Deadline: Registration opens soon; closes once seats fill
Eligibility: High school students ages 15–18; no prior media coursework required.
This weeklong program introduces high school students to the full workflow of digital audio production, from developing a show concept to recording, editing, and preparing a podcast or YouTube pilot episode. You’ll learn how to market your recorded episode by identifying viral clip moments, crafting social media hooks, and understanding how branding influences audience engagement across platforms. The program also introduces you to production tools, editing software, and AI-assisted content development for scripting and enhancement. Daily workshops simulate the dynamics of real digital content teams, giving you hands-on experience with collaboration, feedback cycles, and versioning. Evening activities and guest speaker sessions provide additional exposure to media professionals and communication careers.
7. Game Changers: Sports Communications and the Fan Experience (Quinnipiac University)
Location: Quinnipiac University, Hamden, CT
Cost: $1,800 (overnight, 1 week) or $1,500 (commuter, 1 week)
Program Dates: July 13–17 or July 27–31
Application Deadline: Rolling; closes once seats fill
Eligibility: High school students ages 15–18; interest in journalism, media, or sports recommended.
This program lets you experience the digital side of sports communications, where storytelling, branding, and real-time updates shape how fans engage with sports online. You explore how professional teams develop social media content, craft advertising campaigns, produce quick-turnaround interviews, and use photography and videography to capture fan-ready moments. Daily workshops and field assignments mirror the workflow of sports media departments, giving you practice in writing updates, scripting short videos, editing clips, and preparing posts for platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and X. The program also features guest speakers from journalism, PR, advertising, and social media, giving you insights into different career paths. By the end of the program, you will have gained a broad understanding of digital sports communication and hands-on experience producing media assets suitable for a portfolio.
8. Summer in the City Internship Program – Communications & Digital Media Tracks (City of Knoxville)
Location: Knoxville, TN
Cost: Paid $15/hour for 8 weeks
Program Dates: June 2–July 24
Application Deadline: March 31
Eligibility: Ages 16–22; must provide transportation; two recommendation letters required
This paid 8-week city internship offers several communication-focused placements where you can contribute to social media strategy, digital content creation, event coverage, and youth-focused outreach. You’ll engage in tasks such as producing posts, designing flyers, writing newsletters, drafting public updates, or supporting community-facing campaigns. Depending on your placement, you may also assist with social media analytics, plan content calendars, document city events through photography or video, or work on branding initiatives tied to major city projects. Beyond day-to-day work, the program includes weekly professional development sessions on communication, civic engagement, and leadership to help you build workplace skills. You also receive structured mentorship from department supervisors who guide your digital communication projects and provide regular feedback throughout the internship.
9. ACLU of Georgia – Communications Internship
Location: Atlanta, GA (hybrid/onsite; varies by term)
Cost: Free to participate, Unpaid internship
Program Dates: Summer (June–August)
Application Deadline: Rolling until filled
Eligibility: High school students and above; strong interest in social media, video editing, design, or digital communication recommended.
This internship places you on the ACLU of Georgia’s Communications team, where you help create digital content that advances civil rights advocacy across the state. You work on video projects, TikTok and Instagram campaigns, graphics production, and short-form storytelling that translates policy issues into engaging social media posts. You also gain hands-on experience writing for digital audiences, planning media assets, and applying design and editing skills to mission-driven communications. Interns collaborate with advocacy, policy, and community outreach teams to shape narratives and highlight ongoing civil liberties work. Throughout the internship, you receive mentorship from communication professionals who guide you on message framing, digital engagement strategies, and content style standards used in nonprofit campaigns.
10. Girls on the Run Bay Area – Social Media Internship
Location: San Francisco, CA (hybrid options may be available)
Cost: Unpaid or paid (varies by role type)
Program Dates: Varies by term
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students and above; interest in social media marketing, content creation, or nonprofit communications encouraged.
This internship places you on the Girls on the Run Bay Area communications team, where you help create and share digital content that supports youth empowerment programs. You may draft posts, design graphics, organize content calendars, edit short-form videos, or assist with community engagement across platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. The role offers exposure to nonprofit branding workflows, audience analytics, and hands-on social media management that directly influences program visibility. You also collaborate with staff on messaging strategy and learn how nonprofits use digital media to recruit volunteers, promote events, and highlight participant stories.
11. CITYarts PR and Marketing Internship
Location: New York, NY
Cost: Unpaid for high school students; interns ages 18+ receive a small stipend
Program Dates: Flexible (15–20 hours/week during Monday–Friday business hours)
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students encouraged to apply; interest in arts, nonprofits, PR, design, or social media preferred.
In this internship, you support CITYarts’ PR and marketing team by helping manage social media platforms, drafting outreach content, and contributing to digital and print promotional materials. You work under the Project Coordinator to design flyers, brochures, digital graphics, and website updates using tools such as Illustrator, Photoshop, and Google Suite. You also assist with social media scheduling, community engagement research, collaboration outreach, and the development of promotional videos. The role provides insight into how nonprofits communicate with partners, donors, and youth communities while giving you hands-on practice with branding and content strategy. Along the way, you’ll build organizational skills, gain experience with project management tools such as Trello, and collaborate closely with arts and nonprofit professionals.
12. NorCal Public Media – Social Media Intern
Location: Rohnert Park, CA (hybrid/onsite depending on position)
Cost: Paid internship
Program Dates: Fall (next available session)
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students, college students, and recent graduates; prior digital media or social content experience preferred.
As a Social Media Intern with NorCal Public Media, you work alongside journalists, digital producers, and multimedia storytellers to create content for the organization’s radio, television, and digital platforms. Your responsibilities may include crafting posts, editing short-form videos, and creating cross-platform assets that accompany news stories. The position provides hands-on experience in public media communication, including audience engagement, analytics awareness, and adapting reporting into a digital-friendly format. You will also contribute to multimedia projects within the Center for Environmental Reporting, gaining insights into audio, video, and documentary-style production workflows. This is a collaborative internship, with mentorship from newsroom professionals, giving you industry-level training in digital storytelling and social media strategy.
13. Mary Miller Summer Program — PHC Group, LLC
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Cost: Paid internship
Program Dates: Summer program; typically June–August
Application Deadline: Typically late March
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors; must have U.S. work authorization
The Mary Miller Summer Program is a paid public health–focused internship that places high school students on PHC Group’s mission-driven team, where they contribute to meaningful social media and digital engagement work. You’ll craft platform-specific social media posts, respond to online interactions, research trends and social marketing strategies, and assist with analytics reporting. You’ll also support virtual community-building efforts, bringing creativity to team collaborations and planning discussions. You’ll work closely with senior leadership, gaining insights into public health communication strategies, content planning, and client-facing digital work. This internship emphasizes leadership, accountability, and professional communication, while giving you the space to explore independent interests connected to PHC’s global public health initiatives.
14. L.A. Times High School Insider Summer Internship
Location: El Segundo, CA (Hybrid: 3 days in-office + 1 day remote)
Cost: Free; $16.90/hour stipend
Program Dates: June 16 – August 1
Application Deadline: February 26
Eligibility: High school students graduating in 2025, 2026, or 2027 who live in Los Angeles or Orange County; must be legally authorized to work in the U.S.
This seven-week internship places you in a professional newsroom, where you’ll explore digital storytelling across social media, video, podcasts, and written reporting. You’ll learn how journalists source stories through email, text, and social platforms, and how content is shaped for online audiences. Throughout the program, you’ll develop long-form multimedia stories with guidance from award-winning editors, and receive hands-on training with interviewing, editorial workflows, and digital production tools. The program mirrors real newsroom expectations, including deadlines, revisions, teamwork, and independent reporting.
15. Princeton Summer Journalism Program (PSJP)
Location: Princeton University, Princeton, NJ (Hybrid: Virtual + On-Campus Residential)
Cost: Fully funded (includes travel, housing, meals, and all program expenses), no stipend
Program Dates: Online workshops throughout July; residential institute July 24 – August 3
Application Deadline: Not yet announced (typically February–March)
Eligibility: High school juniors interested in journalism; must commit to online sessions + 10-day residential experience
This year-long journalism and college prep program begins with virtual workshops in July led by national journalists and culminates in a 10-day residential newsroom experience at Princeton. You’ll create digital content, report real stories, conduct interviews, and collaborate on multimedia pieces, including a group blog and a full newspaper published at the end of the program. Participants also visit top media organizations such as The New York Times, HuffPost, and Bloomberg, gaining insights into how modern newsrooms operate across social media and digital platforms. Throughout the program, you’ll sharpen research, writing, editing, and on-camera skills that are central to digital media and storytelling careers.
Image Source - Princeton University logo