Zendaya Coleman wants to be a "symbol of confidence" for young people.
The ‘Shake It Up’ star is keen to use her "platform for bigger things" and to help and support those who look up to her.
She told PEOPLE magazine: "I feel like it’s really important for young people dealing with bullying to see a symbol of confidence. Whether that be from me on social media or from someone in their family, I feel like that is really important to have someone that they can look to and know that confidence is possible. That’s why I do it.
"I like to use my platform for bigger things than just myself and things that I believe in and I feel very strongly about. This is one of those things. Just using my platform and the things that I love to help other people and bring more awareness to things that I feel like need it."
And the 19-year-old actress and singer loves being a role model so much that she previously thanked the parents of her loyal supporters for letting her be someone her kids could look up to.
Speaking to collect her Kids’ Choice Award earlier this year, she shared: "This means so, so much to me. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I do it for you guys. I just want you to know that doing and making positive programming for young people is so important to me, and I will keep doing it.
"To all the parents out there, thank you for allowing me to be a role model for your children. I really, really do not take that for granted."
Zendaya isn’t afraid to talk about tough subjects and recently spoke up about the Oscars diversity debate.
She said: "I think it’s action. It’s all action. It’s about not being afraid of having this conversation and to speak up. I’m glad people are talking about it. I’m glad that it’s being spoken about. That’s why we have these conversations – so we can grow and get better."
Zendaya Coleman: I want to be a ‘symbol of confidence’ for young people
