A seven-year-old British schoolgirl dubbed ‘the next Greta Thunberg’ by her very glamorous model mother has become the world’s youngest ever Ted talker.
Molly Wright, who was born in the UK but who now lives in Australia, recently gave her TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) Talk about the dangers of parents who spend more time on their digital devices than paying attention to their children.
It puts the aspiring actress in a very high-profile list of Ted talkers, which include the likes of Microsoft boss Bill Gates, Hollywood director J.J. Abrams and the world’s richest man, Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos.
And it is a major badge of honour for the youngster – who is the daughter of a British couple originally from the north-east of England.
Molly’s father, Neil, works for a loss adjusting firm out in Brisbane, where the couple moved from Manchester in 2017.
Her mother, Ally, is an actress and model and a very vocal supporter of her talented young daughter, who already has an IMDB film credit under her belt – along with her own animal charity campaign.
Molly’s seven-minute TED speech will be promoted by UNICEF and shown to new parents in maternity wards around the world.
There are more than 30million people who follow TED for its short talks on all areas of knowledge.
‘I know it’s important for adults to use their devices sometimes but kids are hard wired to seek out meaningful connections,’ Molly says in the speech.
Molly’s speech on the dangers of parents spending more time on their devices rather than paying attention to their children will be seen by more than 30million people
Molly’s promotional shot from her IMDB.com profile (pictured left). She already has an appearance in a TV thriller under her belt. Molly’s father works for a loss adjusting firm out in Brisbane, where the couple moved in 2017, while her mother Ally (pictured right) is an actress and model and a vocal supporter of her talented young daughter
Molly Wright, who was born in the UK but who now lives in Australia with her family (pictured), recently gave her TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) Talk about the dangers of parents who spend more time on their digital devices than paying attention to their children
‘Our brains grow faster in the early years than at any other time in our lives – connect, talk and play with us.’
‘Interactions early and often matter,’ Molly says at one point in the talk. ‘Take it from me, the seven-year-old up here talking about brain science,’ she jokes, as the audience laugh.
Molly was suggested for the speech by Thrive for Five, the organisation headed by former South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill to campaign for better early education options for children.
It’s backed by the Minderoo Foundation, the philanthropic foundation started by mining magnate Andrew Forrest and his wife, Nicola.
The seven-year-old is the youngest person to deliver TED talk, after being suggested by Australian childhood education organisation Thrive for Five
Responding to suggestions she was treading the same path as Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg, whose school ‘strike’ at age 15 to draw attention to climate change became a worldwide phenomenon, Molly told News Limited it would be ‘a dream come true to do that for early education’.
‘I feel like I would help so many people,’ she said.
‘Molly, I have no words,’ Ally Wright, Molly’s mother, posed on Facebook.
‘You are one very special little lady who might actually just change the world one day.’
The budding actress already has a profile on movies database IMDB.com, with a credit in 2021 TV movie Kidnapped, and management in Australia and the US.
‘Molly is trained in jazz, tap, ballet, acro and aerial dancing and has performed on stage at The Home of the Arts Theatre,’ her bio says.
‘She has a great ear for all accents, has a reading age of 12 and is undertaking piano and singing lessons, preferring musical theatre and rock.’
An animal lover, Molly also created Molly’s Wildlife Warriors to raise funds for Currumbin Wildlife Hospital on the Gold Coast.
The charity drive’s JustGiving page, which has also been backed by fellow child star Charlotte Stent, has raised more than $2,000.
‘Molly is a seven-year-old actor, who has been fortunate enough to spend time around humanitarians and animal activists,’ mother Ally wrote on the justigivng.com fundraising site.
‘Inspired by what she has seen and heard, and the people around her, Molly has set up a team of 40 wonderful children, who will spend the coming months taking on challenges to raise money for Currumbin Wildlife Hospital.’
Molly’s glamorous mother, Ally (pictured left), has worked as an actress and model after studying at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts – achieving a Higher National Diploma in Media and Performance. Her father Neil (pictured right with Molly and their youngest child) works for the loss adjusting firm McLarens
The Wright family (pictured) are originally from Manchester, but moved to Australia in 2017
The couple now live in Brisbane, having moved in 2017 from their home in the north-west of England
Her mother Ally also revealed Molly would be featured on Nine’s A Current Affair.
Molly has the support of an experience of mother behind her, with Ally having previously worked in acting and modelling.
Ally moved on to the stage and screen after studying at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts – achieving a Higher National Diploma in Media and Performance.
Ally (pictured with daughter Molly) has returned to full-time acting since moving to Australia, and has recently worked on two feature films and three shorts
She also went on to achieve a Bachelor of the Arts Degree in Drama, graduating with a First.
During her studies, Ally worked as a stage and screen actor and model in both Manchester and London.
She later had a nine-year career as Teacher and Head of Drama at Fred Longworth High School and Performing Arts College in Tyldesley – a small town situated between Manchester and Wigan.
Ally, who is an amateur runner, has also returned to full-time acting since moving to Australia, and has recently worked on two feature films and three shorts.
Molly’s father Neil meanwhile works at the multi-national loss adjusting firm McLarens, where he started a new job in 2019.
He is an avid football fan and regularly plays golf, having returned to the amateur competitions last year following his recovery from a back injury.
The couple married in January 2017, after a three year engagement, before moving to Australia a month later, when Molly was aged three.
The pair originally moved to a flat in South Bank, Brisbane, but now live in an suburban home – with its own back-garden pool.