Being on one of the biggest shows in the world has meant the young stars of Stranger Things have acquired legions of loyal fans overnight - all desperate to meet their idols.

But when lead actor Finn Wolfhard, 14, refused to stop for autographs outside his hotel he was branded 'heartless' by one disappointed devotee.

It prompted fellow actor Sophie Turner, who knows all about the pressures of growing up in the spotlight having starred in Game of Thrones since she was 13, to leap to his defence online.

Sophie, 21, who plays Sansa Stark on the smash-hit show, took to Twitter to brand the level of expectation placed on the young actor 'super weird' - and insist child stars are 'kids first', celebrities second.

Sophie Turner, 21, has slammed obsessive fans for being 'abusive' to child actors

The actress said someone like Finn shouldn't be made to feel like they 'owe anyone anything for living their childhood dreams'.

Sophie, who recently became engaged to pop star Joe Jonas, tweeted: 'Damn... seeing fully grown adults wait outside the Stranger Things kids' hotels etc, and then abuse them when they don't stop for them is super weird.

'A. What adult in their right mind waits for a CHILD outside their hotel and B is then is offended when the CHILD doesn't stop.'

Sophie then reminded her followers that the cast are 'kids first', as well as being the faces of one of most popular shows in recent years.

The Game Of Thrones star went on a Twitter rant, calling on fans to remember that child stars are still 'kids first'

She continued: 'It doesn’t matter if they are an actor... they are kids first. Give them the space they need in order to grow without feeling like they owe anyone anything for living their childhood dreams.'

The tweets received tens of thousands of retweets, with Sophie's followers agreeing that the fans had been 'disrespectful' to the cast.

Sophie's comments come after a fan shared a video, which has since been deleted, showing Finn, who plays Mike in the series, walking into his hotel with a bodyguard alongside him while the people waiting to see him plead with him to take pictures with them and sign pictures.

After he walks into the hotel lobby without personally greeting them, a woman's voice is heard branding him 'so rude.'

Finn Wolfhard, 14, was called 'heartless' by an enraged fan who had waited outside his hotel for an autograph

Stranger Things has proved hugely popular since it debuted on Netflix last year. It returned for a second season in October

The video was also shared online with a tweet blasting the teenager, reading: 'Imagine being 14 and heartless that you can't even stop for your fans who made you famous in the first place! WOW.'

Both fans and celebrities have criticised the fan for shaming the teenage star, including his former co-star Shannon Purser, who infamously played the ill-fated Barb.

'Okay, no. No actor is under any obligation to stop for anyone. Finn is an incredibly kind human. But he's human and he needs breaks too,' Shannon tweeted.

Sophie was a child actress herself, having joined the Game Of Thrones cast when she was just 15 years old

The youth of the cast suddenly thrust into the spotlight was highlighted previously when a model was slammed for making a crude comment about Finn.

Ali Michael, from Texas, shared an image of the Canadian child star in an Instagram story last week with the caption: 'Not to be weird but hit me up in 4 years @finnwolfhardofficial'.

Many regarded it as a particularly tasteless and ill-advised remark given the current climate in Hollywood in the wake of the Weinstein scandal.

With a 13 year age gap between the pair, the model has been criticised for 'sexualising' children, with her message panned as 'disgusting'.