8 Famous Teens Who Are Wise Beyond Their Years

The stunning daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis has already landed herself a movie role and Chanel campaign and garnered attention for her cool-girl style, but what's even cooler is her recent involvement with the Self Evident Truths Project. The concept aims to spread awareness and understanding of the broader spectrum of sexuality, and Lily-Rose recently used the project to come out to the public as sexually fluid. Her announcement via social media will likely inspire other teens to love and be proud of who they are, no matter their gender identity or sexual preferences.

Follow her: @lilyrose_depp

Amandla Stenberg first gained fame when she was cast as Rue in the first Hunger Games film in 2012. Her newfound stardom was met with controversy at the time, as many viewers of the movie took to social media with racist messages lamenting the fact that Amandla — as well as the character — was black.

At 16, Amandla has become a powerful and inspiring voice when it comes to racial politics and gender equality. Her school history project on cultural appropriation, a four-minute video titled "Don't Cash Crop My Cornrows," went viral in April 2015 and started an important conversation about race and beauty. Over the Summer, the actress was involved in a public feud with Kylie Jenner after commenting on a photo of the reality TV star wearing her hair in cornrows; Amandla wrote, "When u appropriate black features and culture but fail to use ur position of power to help black Americans by directing attention towards ur wigs instead of police brutality or racism #whitegirlsdoitbetter," to which Kylie responded, "Go hang w Jaden [Smith] or something."

Needless to say, Amandla's outspokenness and bravery have made her somewhat of a beacon of hope and pride for young women of color — especially those whose opinions are sometimes silenced and who are often made to feel unattractive if they have features that don't align with society's ideals of beauty. For someone so young, Amandla has quickly proven that she knows more about racial issues than most adults.

Follow her: @amandlastenberg

It's no surprise that Rowan Blanchard would be close friends with Amandla Stenberg; the 13-year-old star of the Disney Channel reboot Girl Meets World recently made headlines with a thoughtful, moving, and incredibly impressive blog post on gender politics and intersectional feminism. "I have made a very big point at making sure my personal feminism includes everyone, and educating myself and discussing these topics have really helped," she started, saying, "Cultural patterns of oppression are not only interrelated, but are bound together and influenced by the intersectional systems of society. Examples of this include race, gender, class, ability, and ethnicity." Not only is her essay worth a read, but this up-and-comer is worth following as well.

Follow her: @rowanblanchard

We were first introduced to Tavi Gevinson when she was just 12 years old; she wrote her own blog called Style Rookie, and her quirky fashion sense and astute commentary earned her a New York Times profile and invitations to runway shows across the globe. As she became a teenager, Tavi turned her attention to pop culture and feminist discussions, and in 2011 she founded Rookie, an independently run online magazine and book series that publishes writing, photography, and other forms of artwork by and for teenagers. She's since involved herself in everything from acting to politics, and she has thrown her support behind women's rights and educational campaigns.

Follow her: @tavitulle

Willow was, of course, born into Hollywood royalty, but she has taken the fame she inherited and turned it on its head. Willow expresses herself by taking artsy, eye-opening photographs of her family and friends, writing poetry, and making some pretty dope music (her last single, "F Q-C #7," was written to represent her "four chakras of self-confidence, voice, survival instinct, and the combination of everything"). She may come off as weird to some, but we love how Willow embraces her idiosyncrasies and channels them creatively.

Follow her: @gweelos

She grew up in front of the camera while playing Sally Draper on Mad Men, but now Kiernan Shipka is all grown up and paving her own path in Hollywood. She recently discussed her love of books in Rookie magazine, calling them "works of art" and revealing her current reading list: "I just got some new ones — a Sylvia Plath book, a Tao Lin book. I'm excited to dig into them. Recently, I read Franny and Zooey [by J. D. Salinger], The Night Circus [by Erin Morgenstern], which was really, really great, and After Dark by Haruki Murakami, which was such a highlight for me."

When she's not devouring the classics, Kiernan spends time with fellow well-read teenagers like Amandla Stenberg, Tavi Gevinson, and Rowan Blanchard.

Follow her: @kiernanshipka

From her eloquent response to criticism of her Oscars hairstyle to her fearless attitude when faced with online haters, Zendaya, who just turned 19, is a former child star who is devastatingly wise beyond her years. Most recently, she hit back at Twitter users who called her parents "ugly," and she is constantly inspiring us with her bold, encouraging Instagram snaps.

Follow her: @zendaya

She's the daughter of Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann and has scored roles in This Is 40, Knocked Up, and, most recently, Girls. In her off time, Maude is just your average 16-year-old, going to prom, attending concerts with her friends, and posting hilarious things on social media. The comedy apple clearly doesn't fall far from the tree.

Follow her: @maude_apatow