Germana Carillo At 17, Tejasvi Manoj created Shield Seniors, a platform to protect older adults from online scams. Her project earned her TIME’s Kid of the Year 2025.
At just 17 years old, Tejasvi Manoj has built a platform designed to make the digital lives of seniors safer—an achievement that has earned her recognition from TIME as Kid of the Year 2025.
Her mission began not in a lab or classroom, but at home. In February 2024, her grandfather nearly fell victim to an online scam: he was about to send money to someone posing as a relative in need, reaching out via email. That close call became the turning point for Tejasvi. Rather than let the experience pass, she decided to act—creating a tool that could shield others from the same threat.
What is shield seniors
That tool became Shield Seniors, a platform soon to be available both as a website and an app. It is designed with an intuitive interface, large fonts, clear text, and simple navigation, details that may sound small but make an enormous difference for people who did not grow up with smartphones or cloud-based accounts.
The platform offers learning sections focused on passwords, privacy, and spotting the most common warning signs of fraud. But its most striking feature is the option to upload suspicious emails or text messages, which are then analyzed by artificial intelligence with an estimated accuracy rate of 95%. Within seconds, users receive feedback about whether a message is likely genuine or fraudulent.
In essence, Shield Seniors doesn’t try to replace banks or law enforcement. Instead, it aims to equip seniors with the knowledge and confidence to recognize danger early. It teaches, in plain language, how to recognize phishing attempts, explains the psychological tricks behind social engineering, and connects users to resources for reporting fraud.
On the project’s homepage, the mission is spelled out clearly:
“At Shield Seniors, we are committed to making the digital world a safer place for seniors by providing them with the knowledge and tools they need to protect themselves from cybercrime. Through our app and resources, we aim to create a future where seniors can enjoy the benefits of technology without risk.”
A recognition beyond coding skills
The Kid of the Year award, granted annually by TIME and TIME for Kids, celebrates a young person between the ages of 8 and 17 who has made a meaningful contribution to their community and the world.
Tejasvi impressed the jury not only with her technical expertise but also with her ability to transform a family incident into a project that now holds promise for millions. TIME praised her for bridging coding skills with digital education and volunteer work—a combination that elevates Shield Seniors far beyond a tech product.
This isn’t her first recognition. In 2024 she received an honorable mention at the Congressional App Challenge and has already collaborated with senior living communities, teaching residents how to identify and report online fraud.
The image that emerges is not just of a gifted coder, but of a young woman who understands that technology only becomes powerful when it is made accessible. And perhaps that’s the real reason her story resonates: it is a reminder that innovation can be deeply human when it begins with protecting those we love.
Sources: Shield Seniors / TIME
