Who are the most influential teens of 2016?

They are all under 20, have talent in very different artistic disciplines and, above all, they are super cool. I'm talking about the teens who have landed in our lives in 2016, someone with successful TV series, someone else thanks to Olympic successes and others just because of their magnetic beauty.

Some days ago, the Time has released its annual list of “The 30 Most Influential Teens of 2016”, featuring the most interesting names of the moment who are born not earlier than 1997. If you are 30 and your life is ordinary, please don't read that article because the risk you'll feel very old and useless is very high. In fact, the Time's list includes world-famous popstars like Shawn Mendes (18), but also international athletes like swimmer Katie Ledecky (19) and the Syrian refugee based in Germany Yusra Mardini (18); in the list we also find well-known names of the show business like Chloë Grace Moretz (19), actress and TV presenter Yara Shahidi (16) and Kylie Jenner, or LGBT rights activist Gavin Grimm (17).

Among the names appeared on the Time, here's a selection of our 10 favourite teens that you should know about.

 

#1 Maddie Ziegler, 14

The most famous dancer of the moment who conquered the public thanks her dances in SIA's videoclips. In 2016 she launched her clothing brand and she has been called the “first digital dance star”.

 

#2 Gaten Matarazzo, 14

The very young actor who became famous for the role of Dustin in the TV series Stranger Things.

 

#3 James Charles, 17

The first boy on CoverGirl's cover. Charles, with his more than 700,000 followers on Instagram, is a New York student who became famous on the Web thanks to his passion for make-up.

 

#4 Amandla Stenberg, 17

The actress, became famous for the role of Rue in the first Hunger Games' film, is now an activist with regard to very important issues like gender identity. She also appeared in Lemonade's videoclip.

 

#5 Jaden Smith, 18

With his sister Willow, Will Smith's son is the most influential teenager of 2016 without a doubt, thanks to his career as a singer and model (and not only this) for well-known campaigns, like the one for Louis Vuitton.

 

#6 Luka Sabbat, 18

The hottest model of the moment. Complex even said he's “the Internet's coolest teenager”. He worked for Tommy Hilfiger and Hood by Air, and he hangs out with Kanye West, Zoe Kravitz and Jaden Smith.

 

#7 Maisie Williams, 19

She is Arya Stark in Game of Thrones, but in real life she fights for women and refugees' rights with tweets and interviews.

 

#8 Simone Biles, 19

The American athlete reached the world audience thanks to her successes during the last Rio Olympics 2016.

 

#9 Barbie Ferreira, 19

The plus-size model has become the symbol of aesthetic change in the fashion industry. Ferreira has posed for several brands and took part in Teen Vogue's Youtube series.

 

#10 Malala Yousafzai, 19

She's the symbol of the fight for human rights after she faced an attack by Talibans in 2012. She's the youngest Nobel laureate ever, received when she was just 17, and she founded the Malala Fund to help young females to obtain their schooling right.