A woman who has found herself tens of thousands of dollars in debt at just 22 has shared her story online in the hopes to help others in her situation feel less isolated.
Kylie Scarletta, 22, lives in Wisconsin, and recently opened up about her struggled with credit card debt. She told Newsweek: “I want to help break that cycle and normalize these conversations.
“I do believe a lot of people are in the same boat—especially young adults—but it’s not often talked about openly, which makes it feel isolating,” she said.
In a video to her TikTok account @kydoeslife on June 17, watched more than 8.5 million times, Scarletta shared the “debt I’ve accumulated at the ripe age of 22,” telling followers she was “getting hella vulnerable … but it’s ok.”
Scarletta then shared screengrabs of her balances on three different credit cards: $10,000 on one, $15,000 on another, and $2,500 on a third.
“I decided to share my story because I know I’m not the only one dealing with this. So many people my age are silently struggling with debt, and it’s easy to feel ashamed,” Scarletta told Newsweek.
“Posting the video was a way for me to take control of my situation and hopefully help others feel less alone,” Scarletta said.
And it worked, as tens of thousands of commenters flocked to the video to share their own stories and ask questions. One wrote: “Not judging in the slightest but how does this happen? I’m genuinely asking [because] I avoid debt like the plague so I’m wondering like what is this being spent on, I’m just confused how this happens.”
“I had almost $35k in credit card debt. Bankruptcy was the best thing to happen to me,” another posted, while a third added: “I’m not from the U.S. so I don’t understand why is it so easy for the youth of America to get themselves into debt like this?”
Scarletta said: “My credit card debt built up gradually over time, mostly from everyday expenses, impulse purchases, and a few larger, unexpected costs.
“I didn’t have much education around finances growing up, and once I got access to credit cards, I honestly didn’t understand how quickly things could spiral. It started with small charges and snowballed into something that now feels overwhelming.”
Multiple commenters advised Scarletta to simply apply for bankruptcy; however, Jake Howell, a former mergers and acquisitions attorney and now an estate planning attorney, warned that bankruptcy should “not be something you default to; it should be a last-ditch effort.”
Howell said: “If you can, honor your debts, pay your debts, and avoid accumulating debts in the future. If you cannot afford to honor your debts, before you file for bankruptcy, you should attempt to make a deal.”
Michael Sullivan is a personal finance consultant at credit counseling and debt management agency Take Charge America. He told Newsweek that, once it starts, “debt is like a snowball going downhill.”
“Very few people set out to accumulate a large amount of debt, yet many do,” Sullivan said, referencing high interest rates, which can cause debt to accumulate even without further borrowing.
Sullivan urged anyone in this position to stop using credit and to “pay off the debt as quickly as possible to minimize the effect of interest charges,” by making more than the minimum payment due each month.
Sullivan echoed Howell’s warning that “no one should rush into bankruptcy, and anyone filing should be certain that it is the only viable option,” which can come down to the debtor’s income, age, and financial sophistication.
“Everyone must master the basics before making life-changing decisions,” Sullivan said, recommending a money coach or credit counselor, or even a course at a local community college. “It is easy to imagine that a 22-year-old with extreme credit card debt may also not be saving for retirement, following a written budget, or doing many of the things that are essential to financial success.”
In Scarletta’s case, she said she is now “creating a plan to pay things down while building healthier financial habits.
“I’ve been working on reducing my spending, avoiding impulse purchases, and putting together a realistic debt payoff strategy,” she added. “It’s definitely a process, but I’m trying to be transparent and show the journey as I go.”
By the first quarter of 2025, credit card debt in the United States was estimated to be $1.18 trillion, according to data from Statista via the New York Federal Reserve. It has been found that 67 percent of Americans using at least one credit card, an increase of almost 7 percentage points in the previous decade from 2014.
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