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Tejasvi Manoj, a 17-year-old from Texas, is TIME’s Kid of the Year 2025 for Shield Seniors, her tech initiative protecting senior citizens from online scams.
Tejasvi’s journey as a digital defender began with a personal scare after her grandfather was nearly tricked by a scammer posing as a relative in an emergency. (Image: Time Magazine)
Tejasvi Manoj, a 17-year-old Indian-American from Texas, has been named TIME’s Kid of the Year 2025 for her groundbreaking work in protecting senior citizens from online scams. Her initiative, Shield Seniors, uses technology and education to safeguard older adults from digital fraud and cybercrime.
Who Is Tejasvi Manoj?
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Tejasvi was born to Indian immigrant parents in California, both are software engineers. The teen was raised in Texas’s Dallas. She’s an Eagle Scout, plays violin in her school orchestra, and volunteers with nonprofits like Vibha and the North Texas Food Bank Young Advocates Council. With aspirations to study Computer Science, focusing on Artificial Intelligence or Cybersecurity, her path is already marked by impact and innovation.
How Did Tejasvi’s Journey Begin?
Tejasvi’s journey began with a personal scare after her grandfather was nearly tricked by a scammer posing as a relative in an emergency. This prompted her to research further and realize that her family’s experience was far from unique.
“Tejasvi was surprised that there was such a lack of awareness among her grandparents,” NDTV quoted her mother, Aishwarya Manoj, as saying.
“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,” she added. The scammers often target the old-age people as many of them are not tech-friendly so they tend to become their prey easily.
As per the report, in 2024 alone, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received nearly 860,000 scam reports, with financial losses exceeding $16 billion. Victims over 60 years accounted for nearly $5 billion—an alarming 32% increase from the previous year.
How Shield Seniors Helps People
To combat this, Tejasvi launched Shield Seniors, a platform that educates elderly users about common scams, offers AI-powered analysis of suspicious messages, and provides links to official reporting tools. The site also includes a chatbot that answers questions in simple language, making it accessible to less tech-savvy users.
Tejasvi’s outreach includes seminars at assisted-living facilities, where she personally teaches seniors how to spot scams.
“I remember going to my first seminar, and I was super nervous,” said Tejasvi as quoted by 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,” the teen added.
Her work has earned national recognition. She received an honorable mention in the 2024 Congressional App Challenge and gave a TEDx talk in Plano, Texas, emphasizing the need to build digital bridges across generations.
With Shield Seniors, Tejasvi Manoj isn’t just teaching digital literacy—she’s fostering confidence and independence among one of society’s most vulnerable groups— senior citizens.
About the Author
Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com’s general desk. She comes with an experience of over 5 years in media industry. She covers politics and other hard news. She can be contacted at Manisha.Roy@nw18…Read More
Manisha Roy is a Senior Sub-Editor at News18.com’s general desk. She comes with an experience of over 5 years in media industry. She covers politics and other hard news. She can be contacted at Manisha.Roy@nw18… Read More
New York, United States of America (USA)
September 10, 2025, 12:50 IST
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