For people of a certain age – that is, born any time before 1 January 2000 – the Winter Olympics highlights of the past few days have been harrowing viewing. Events have been dominated by gold-medal-winning US snowboarders Red Gerard and Chloe Kim, who, both 17 years old, had the temerity to be born in this millennium. It’s OK. Bask in the newfound knowledge of your own mediocrity; at least you’re not going to be ID’d in the pub later. Regardless, here are a few other precocious brats to cast your impending midlife crisis into the sharpest possible focus.
Millie Bobby Brown
Best known for her Emmy-nominated stint as a disturbed runaway in Stranger Things, the 13-year-old Brit is the youngest-ever Calvin Klein model, has 14 million Instagram followers and counts Drake among her fans. And she hasn’t even got her GCSEs yet.
Lil Pump
Released when he was 17 years and 14 days old, Lil Pump’s single Gucci Gang was one of last year’s most infuriating hits. The Florida-based rapper released his first album in October and featured on Forbes’ Hip-Hop Future Moguls list. He turns 18 in August.
Jazz Jennings
The 17-year-old transgender LGBTQ-rights activist has featured in multiple documentaries about her experiences, as well as her own TV series . She has written an autobiography, worked with Stonewall on a children’s book and wrote Laverne Cox’s entry for the 2015 Time 100.
Phil Foden
Last year’s BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year, Man City midfielder Phil Foden recently became the youngest English player to start in a Champions League match at the age of 17 years and 192 days, and was named player of the tournament in England’s victorious march through last year’s under-17 World Cup. Still, he’s not allowed to buy Tipp-Ex until the end of May, so who’s really winning?
Jack Bergeson
He might be too young to vote, but that hasn’t stopped the 16-year-old from running for office, after he discovered a loophole in Kansas state law. Having raised the $2,037 fee required to get on the ballot, Bergeson entered the runnings for state governor as a Democrat candidate last summer, with other teenage candidates following suit. Bergeson, who is still in school, promises to champion “the middle and lower classes that are being overlooked by our current administration”.
Mikaila Ulmer
The 13-year-old is a social entrepreneur and founder of Me & the Bees, which sells all-natural lemonade, using flaxseed and local honey as a sweetener. Her products are stocked in Whole Foods in the US and Ulmer donates a portion of her profits to conservation work helping to save endangered honeybees, which makes her a “good person” as well as a prodigiously gifted upstart.
