Recently, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange published data showing that the average age at which Israelis begin investing in the capital market is 30, and that 17 percent of investors are under 21. Usually, numbers like these are the last thing to interest me, but this time they caught my eye.

No wonder younger generations are drawn to stocks, I thought. Gen Z and Gen Alpha grew up with screens and tend to trust digital money. It makes sense to them to invest, research and learn about the market — not to mention the adrenaline rush it gives them. Less charitably, there is no doubt they are also attracted to the ease of making money. YouTubers and TikTokers become famous overnight and get rich, so young people think they too can make their first million quickly and with almost no effort.

As I was thinking about this, my teenager walked in, excited to announce that he was now officially investing in stocks. “Sure,” I laughed, “as if I’m going to fund this adventure for you.” “I don’t need you to,” he said. “I have my own money, and I already invested.” It turned out that his older brother — the “freshly discharged” soldier currently deep into his post-army trip — had invested the bar mitzvah money for him and even loaned him more so he could “make it big.” Every attempt I made to explain that he was making a mistake and could lose everything fell on deaf ears. He was determined and didn’t want to hear another word. At that point, I realized I needed to change my approach and treat this as a chance to teach him that money does not grow on trees. And so our family experiment began.

On the first day, just before I left the house, I saw him pacing nervously. He explained he was waiting for 4:30 p.m., when the stock market opens. Needless to say, it was only noon. Hours later, when I returned home, I found him staring at his phone. He sat like that for hours, occasionally getting up to eat, answer calls or wander around the house. This time, he explained he was waiting for the stock to rise.

The next day, when the same thing happened again, I asked him to check how many hours he had been glued to his phone. “Two or three,” he muttered. When he checked his screen-time data, it turned out to be seven hours. At that point, even he realized it was unreasonable, so he called his friends and they went to play basketball.

The third day passed calmly. He seemed busy, and I was pleased. In the evening, I sat quietly watching TV when suddenly I heard a terrifying scream. I rushed to his room and found him jumping up and down: “My stock went up. I made 500 shekels!” “Are you out of your mind?” I snapped. “Do you know how you scared me? I thought something happened to you.” He celebrated all evening, calling every friend and relative to announce his big news. I suggested he sell the stock. “Why?” he asked. “I want to keep earning.” “But what will you do if it drops?” I pressed. “You understand you could lose everything?” He looked uneasy and called his brother, who casually told him they were definitely not selling, because they were both going to “make it big.” He added that stocks “aren’t for the faint-hearted.” “I’m staying in. The stock will definitely rise,” my son concluded confidently.

The next day the stock dropped, and I didn’t say a word — just put on my best “I told you so” face. That evening, he hesitated: “Maybe I should sell now? I lost a bit, but I don’t want to lose everything.” A few minutes later, he came back looking upset. His brother had forbidden him to sell. I considered calling him myself, but an experiment is an experiment. I bit my lip and waited.

On the fifth day, I walked into a surprise. My teenager was sitting with a notebook and iPad, watching videos. “Are you studying?” I asked. He nodded: “I’m watching videos about the stock market and stocks. I realized I need to understand what I’m investing in.” Honestly? I was impressed. The next day, we discovered the stock had gone up again. Surprisingly, that was when he decided he’d had enough. He called his brother and told him he was done with the madness. “So we’re finished with stocks?” I asked with relief. “Well…” he hesitated. “With this stock, yes. But I’ll probably invest in another one.”

I have to admit that this experiment ended up surprising me in a positive way. As someone who always believed that investing in the stock market is basically gambling, I learned that it also involves knowledge, familiarity with the stock itself and market forecasts — all of which require research and learning. So if teenagers want to enter the market, this can actually be an opportunity for us as parents to guide them and give them their first financial tools.

It’s important to remember that most teens under 18 will need an investment account in their parents’ name or a joint account, so parents should first decide whether they’re really willing to embark on this adventure.

If the answer is yes, parents should explain that the stock market can be highly volatile — there are risks as well as opportunities. It’s important to teach them about diversification, what it means not to “put all your eggs in one basket,” and to think about long-term investing rather than quick wins.

Parents should also explain that investing requires research and learning, and encourage teens to read financial news, watch interviews with industry figures and learn basic terms such as stock market, return and dividend. To understand which stocks might be worth investing in, it helps to study the company behind them — its performance, industry news and future outlook. In the end, investing combines research, knowledge and a bit of intuition that develops over time. And above all, patience — for them and for us.

Nirit Zuk is a researcher of child and youth culture, CEO of the “Eser Plus” parenting portal and author of the 2024 parenting book “Chocolate for breakfast”.