Made with curiosity, by a teenager.
Being a Teenager was built by Elena Lilley, with support from her parents David and Sarah, during a two-week work experience placement. It is a space for teenagers and adults to understand each other a little better.
Elena Lilley
Elena spent two weeks immersed in the world of media production — learning how websites, video, and audio come together to tell a story. This site is the result: a place where research, empathy, and design meet.
She wanted to build something that speaks to both teenagers and the adults around them — parents, educators, mentors — about what it really feels like to grow up in a world of notifications, algorithms, and always-on comparison.
The message is simple: phones and screens are part of life, but they should not crowd out movement, conversation, nature, sleep, and the kind of kindness that happens face to face.
"I wanted to make something useful — not just another website."
— Elena Lilley
Family support
Elena's parents, David and Sarah, run a sales, marketing, and business development strategy company. They guided her through the project and helped turn her ideas into something real.
Two weeks of learning
From planning and writing to media production, design, and web development, Elena experienced the full creative process firsthand.
Built with empathy
The site reflects what Elena sees in her own generation — and what she hopes adults will understand a little more deeply.
A podcast from lockdown
My dad thought it might be a nice idea to share this. It's a podcast I recorded in the middle of COVID-19, when I was just a child trying to make sense of a very strange time.
Being a teenager now, you might imagine I find it a little cringe-worthy — but my dad assures me that in my adult years I'll look back on it with fascination and appreciation. It's a small snapshot of how a perspective can change inside the same person, over just a few short years.
A project about listening.
Being a Teenager is not about banning phones or criticising a generation. It is about slowing down long enough to understand what growing up feels like now — and choosing habits that protect the things that matter most: kindness, contribution, and real memories.