17-Year-Old Named ‘Kid of the Year’ for Work Protecting Older Adults From Cybercrime

 After Tejasvi Manoj, 17, learned that an online scammer had almost stolen $2,000 from her 85-year-old grandfather last year, the Texas high school student decided she wanted to do something to help other older adults navigate the internet safely. So she developed an app that helps users detect scams.

Now Manoj is a bit of a celebrity: She was just named “Kid of the Year” by Time magazine. She also received an honorable mention in the 2024 Congressional App Challenge, and led a TEDx talk in 2025, where she said that older adults aren’t just losing money; they’re also “losing confidence, trust and dignity” because of cybercrimes.

Because of this, she added, "they stop using the very same technology that could help them video call their grandchildren, text their friends or discover new hobbies.”

Her project is a platform called Shield Seniors, designed to offer guidance on how to recognize and avoid scams. It includes a feature where users can upload screenshots of emails or text messages and an AI program will analyze them for scam risks. The tool is now available in a private preview mode (you can fill out an early access form to test the site by clicking the "Login" tab), while Manoj works to secure additional funding for the project. 

Manoj's motivation

Last year, Manoj’s grandfather received a message from someone pretending to be a family member needing $2,000. He was about to send the money, but his wife was wary and suggested he confirm that the message was legitimate. When he reached out to the family member, he realized he had been communicating with a scammer.

Manoj’s mother, Aishwarya Manoj, told Time that after the scam attempt, her daughter became curious about the “lack of awareness among her grandparents” about the warning signs for fraud. "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 said.

Recent AARP research shows that over a third of adults, about 95.4 million people, put themselves at risk of theft by responding to calls, texts or friend requests from strangers.

Among the millions of Americans who reported losing money to fraud in 2024, older adults lost the most, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC): Those in their 70s reported a median of $1,000 stolen through scams, compared with a median of about $417 reported stolen by those in their 20s.

“The app not only provides educational resources but also offers practical tools, like a virtual assistant and image analysis feature, to help users make safe decisions online,” Manoj said in an interview with Shoutout DFW. “It’s been a lot of work, but knowing that it could make a real difference in someone’s life has kept me motivated.”

Manoj told Time that her ultimate goal for Shield Seniors is to “make sure [older adults] are able to navigate the online world confidently, with independence, and with dignity.”

More about scams

If you're a scam victim or want to find out more about scams, contact the free AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with a trained volunteer.