2016–present : Acting debut
Shin debuted as an actress on November 16, 2016, with the release of Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned. She was praised for her performance in a major role despite being a newcomer in such a young age.
In late November 2016, she acted as the teenage of Jun Ji-hyun's character in the television series The Legend of the Blue Sea. In December, she was cast in a short film directed by Shunji Iwai titled Chang-ok's Letter where she played as Bae Doona and Kim Joo-hyuk's daughter. It was released on Nestle Theater's YouTube channel on February 16, 2017. She then lent her voice for the female lead in animated film titled The Shower, released in August. Shin also appeared as a supporting cast in the pre-produced web series by JYP Pictures titled School of Magic, along with several actors from her agency, which premiered on September 11.
In 2018, Shin starred with another lead role, alongside Jung Jae-won, in a one-act romance drama titled Anthology—a part of tvN's Drama Stage. She then acted in the film titled Illang: The Wolf Brigade, where she worked with actor Gang Dong-won for the second time. It was released on July 25, 2018. In July, she was cast in the family melodrama Bad Papa, playing the daughter of Jang Hyuk.
In 2019 and 2020, she played supporting roles in the film Homme Fatale, and in television series SF8 and Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol. In 2022, Shin made a special appearance in KBS2's historical drama Bloody Heart as the childhood of Kang Han-na's character, and was reunited with Jang Hyuk whom she previously acted with in Bad Papa. The same year, she had a supporting role in the Netflix drama, A Model Family. She plays the daughter Yeonwoo, who encourages her parents to split.
Within the next year, she gained critical praise for her back-to-back portrayal of a rebellious and lonely high school senior on a journey to find closeness and freedom in the drama special Like Otters, and as a deaf student who falls in love in time travel romance series Twinkling Watermelon, In 2024, she would then debut in the Kang Full universe through the Disney+ fantasy series, Light Shop. She plays Joo Hyun Joo, a mysterious young girl who visits the shop every day to buy a light bulb.
On March 12, 2025, Management Soop announced that Shin had signed an exclusive contract with the agency. On August 29, 2025, she starred in the coming of age rom-com Love Untangled, which premiered exclusively on Netflix. Upon its release, it became the most watched non-English film on the streaming service, with Shin's portrayal of bubbly protagonist Park Se-ri gaining her a nomination for Baeksang Arts Award for Best New Actress – Film.
