Leave your video games at the door, kids, because childhood has a new game in town. Forget playdates, slumber parties, or even curfews — that's so 90s! These days, preteen upstarts spend their time leading war cries against some of the world's biggest polluters. Remember when the biggest concern in ‘Sweet Valley Twins’ was whether the Wakefield's had a better ponytail or peplum top than the rest of the sixth graders? Apparently, times have changed. Meet 12-year-old Shelly Green – an ordinary schoolgirl by day, climate activist by night. Shelly discovered her passion for the environment when she had her first up close and personal interaction with pollution – stepping on a discarded plastic bottle during a backyard treasure hunt. "I thought it was a fossil," she says solemnly. Recognizing a need to do something, Shelly did what any rational and woke 12-year-old would do – she declared war on the top culprits that contribute to the crisis. Yes, we’re talking about the world's biggest polluters here, not some kids sneaking snack wrappers into the school compost bin. Armed with an army of fellow pre-teens, Shelly stages weekly protests outside global multinational conglomerates. Carrying placards, more often than not ink-stained with rainbow sorbet, and chanting environmentally-themed slogans, Shelly's miniature militia has quickly become a common sight and arguably a corporate headache. Childhood existential dread has come a long way from worrying about whether your Tamagotchi will lose or gain weight. Today's preteens are contending with predicting the polar ice caps melting rate and how to convince governments to instate carbon taxes. And in case you think Shelly has no time for anything else, hold on to your reusable hats! She also runs a blog, 'ClimeChangeChangeling', that educates other kids about small, manageable lifestyle changes they can adopt to help the environment. She even teaches after-school classes on sustainability to her peers who, presumably, are too busy with their paper rounds to join the weekly protests. Meanwhile, we adults watch in silent awe (and let's admit it, a little bit of dread) as we sip on our takeaway lattes, drive our gas-guzzlers, and grumble about the 'extreme agenda’ of today’s youth, all the while forgetting the small detail that it is they who will actually inherit the earth. Gone are the days when childhood was a carefree time of exploring the neighborhood on your bike or inventing an imaginary game. Life's too short for carefree amusement when there are coal plants to shut down, protected land to safeguard, and environmentally unaware adults to re-educate. Get with the program, grownups; childhood is now a part-time job, and our preteens are thriving at it. Time to swap that Frappuccino for a taste of the inconvenient truth and join the crusade. We might learn something from these whippersnappers, like, you know, how to save the planet.