When sixteen-year-old Tejasvi Manoj discovered her 85-year-old grandfather had nearly fallen for an online scam, she realized millions of seniors were facing the same digital dangers without any help. The Texas high schooler learned that cybercriminals steal over $3 billion annually from older adults, with victims losing an average of $33,915 each, yet most seniors lack basic cybersecurity knowledge. Rather than just worry about the problem, this determined teenager decided to build the solution herself.
Her creation, Shield Seniors, is an AI-powered app designed specifically to help older adults navigate the digital world safely and confidently. The platform offers easy-to-understand cybersecurity lessons, a chatbot for quick questions, and an analysis tool that can review suspicious messages to determine if they’re legitimate or scams. Tejasvi taught herself advanced programming through online tutorials and YouTube videos, testing different AI models to create something truly user friendly for seniors. Her dedication has already earned recognition from AARP and an Honorable Mention in the Congressional App Challenge, but more importantly, it’s giving vulnerable seniors the tools they need to protect themselves online. This remarkable young woman proves that sometimes the most powerful innovations come from simply wanting to protect the people we love.