TIME and TIME for Kids have announced the 2025 Kid of the Year, an award that celebrates exceptional young people who are making a positive impact on the world.

This year’s honoree is Tejasvi Manoj, a 17-year-old from Frisco, Texas, recognized for her work promoting digital literacy and protecting senior citizens from cybercrime.

Manoj shared with TIME: “I began volunteering in sixth grade…I believe it’s truly important; if you are fortunate, you want to ensure others feel loved and fortunate as well. It simply makes me feel very happy, knowing that I can make a difference.”

–Read the cover story and view the interview with Tejasvi Manoj, the 2025 Kid of the Year:

–View the TIME cover, featuring a photograph by Zerb Mellish for TIME:

Jeffrey Kluger of TIME writes about the 2025 selection: “The unidentified cybercriminals who attempted to defraud senior citizens encountered more resistance than they anticipated when they targeted Tejasvi Manoj’s grandfather in February 2024…Tejasvi, then a 16-year-old junior…started investigating the prevalence of such scams, particularly those targeting older Americans. It turns out they are very common…Within a year, she had created and launched Shield Seniors, a website and, subsequently, a mobile app, designed to educate individuals aged 60 and older about the characteristics of online scams, analyze suspicious emails and messages uploaded by users, and, if the communications are found to be fraudulent, provide links for reporting them.”

TIME for Kids Editor-in-Chief Andrea Delbanco stated: “At TIME, we consistently feature prominent global leaders and emerging change agents. Kid of the Year shines a spotlight on the youngest among us, recognizing their achievements as they pave the way for a better future. We are providing kids with a platform and observing how they utilize it to inspire other young individuals to follow in their footsteps.”

To choose the 2025 Kid of the Year, TIME’s editors and writers conducted research to identify outstanding children in the U.S. between the ages of 8 and 17. For the first time, TIME also considered submissions to the TIME for Kids Service Stars program, which recognizes young leaders who are improving the world. Service Stars, developed in collaboration with The Allstate Foundation, encourages all young people to serve and improve their communities and highlights kids who are positively impacting others.

The 2025 TIME Kid of the Year is supported by exclusive partner , a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering youth ages 5 to 25 to serve and improve communities.

The 2025 Kid of the Year is currently available on and will be featured in the September 29 issue of TIME, which will be available on newsstands on Friday, September 19. It will also be highlighted in the TIME for Kids Service Stars special issue, in classrooms and online at starting September 25.

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