TIME and TIME for Kids Name the 2025 Kid of the Year: 17-year-old Tejasvi Manoj

Sept. 9, 2025 - Today, TIME and TIME for Kids reveal the 2025 Kid of the Year, recognizing one exceptional young person making the world a brighter place.

This year's recipient is 17-year-old Tejasvi Manoj. Tejasvi is recognized for developing Shield Seniors, a website designed to educate adults age 60 and over about online scams, analyze suspicious emails and provide links to report them.

Manoj tells TIME: "I started volunteering in sixth grade…I think it's really important; if you're lucky yourself, you want to make sure other people feel loved and lucky too. It just makes me feel really happy, knowing that I can make a difference."

- Read the cover story and watch the interview with 2025 Kid of the Year Tejasvi Manoj.

- See the TIME cover, featuring a photograph by Zerb Mellish.

Of the 2025 choice, TIME's Jeffrey Kluger writes: "Tejasvi was recognized with an honorable mention in the 2024 Congressional App Challenge; delivered a 2025 TEDx talk in Plano, Texas, about the need to build "digital bridges" to all demographics; and makes occasional appearances at local assisted-living facilities, demonstrating her website and teaching seminars about cybercrime."

"At TIME, we regularly profile world leaders and next-generation changemakers. Kid of the Year elevates the very youngest, recognizing their accomplishments as they chart a course toward a brighter future," said TIME for Kids editor-in-chief Andrea Delbanco. "We're giving kids a platform, and watching them use it to inspire other young people to follow in their footsteps."

Greg Weatherford II, director, The Allstate Foundation and Social Impact

"The Allstate Foundation is proud to partner with TIME to elevate youth-led service through the Kid of the Year. This reflects our mission to support young people and showcase the impact they can have when given the resources, opportunities, and encouragement to serve. This year's honoree is a true epitome of that, and we are thrilled to lift up her journey and commitment to community. Their story is a powerful testament to the idea that the next generation isn't waiting to lead - they already are."

To select the 2025 Kid of the Year, TIME editors and writers conducted research to identify stand-out kids in the U.S. ages 8-17. For the first time, TIME also evaluated submissions to the TIME for Kids Service Stars program, which honors young leaders who are making the world a brighter place. Service Stars, developed in partnership with The Allstate Foundation, supports all young people to serve and improve communities and shines a light on kids who are positively impacting others.

The 2025 TIME Kid of the Year is made possible by exclusive partner The Allstate Foundation, a nonprofit that is committed to empowering youth ages 5 to 25 to serve and improve communities

The 2025 Kid of the Year is available on time.com now and will appear in the September 29 issue of TIME, available on newsstands on September 19. It will also be featured in the TIME for Kids Service Stars special issue, in classrooms and online at timeforkids.com starting September 25.

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