Seventeen-year-old Indian-American Tejasvi Manoj has been named TIME’s Kid of the Year 2025 for her groundbreaking work protecting senior citizens from online scams. Her initiative, Shield Seniors, combines technology and education to safeguard older adults against digital fraud and cybercrime.
Tejasvi was born in California to Indian immigrant parents originally from Kerala , both of whom are software engineers. She was raised in Dallas, Texas, where she is active in Scouting America, recently achieving her Eagle Scout rank, and performs in her school orchestra as a violinist. She aspires to study Computer Science, specialising in Artificial Intelligence or Cybersecurity.
Her journey began after a personal scare when her grandfather was nearly tricked by a scammer posing as a relative in an emergency. “Tejasvi was surprised that there was such a lack of awareness among her grandparents," said Aishwarya Manoj, her mother, as reported by TIME. “It was like, Why did you not know? That’s when she went on with her research and found out that it was not an isolated case with her grandparents, but a much larger problem."
The problem is widespread. In 2024, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received nearly 860,000 scam reports, with losses exceeding $16 billion. Victims over 60 accounted for nearly $5 billion, marking a 32 per cent increase from the previous year.
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Shield Seniors equips older adults with knowledge of common scams, AI-powered analysis of suspicious messages, and links to official reporting tools. Its chatbot answers questions in simple language, making the platform accessible to less tech-savvy users. While still in private preview mode, it is already gaining attention.
Tejasvi also conducts seminars at assisted-living facilities, personally teaching seniors to identify online scams. “I remember going to my first seminar, and I was super nervous," she told TIME. “What if no one shows up? What if I totally mess up? There were so many people who were really interested—taking notes on their notepads, which was really nice. At the end, some of them came up to me with questions, and I was able to help them."
Her contributions have earned national recognition. She received an honourable mention in the 2024 Congressional App Challenge and delivered a TEDx talk in Plano, Texas, emphasising the importance of building digital bridges across generations.
With Shield Seniors, Tejasvi Manoj is not just promoting digital literacy; she is fostering confidence and independence among one of society’s most vulnerable groups.
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