Miley Cyrus, the former Disney Channel child star whose growing pains have been played out in the glare of the world's media, announced her engagement on Wednesday at the age of 19 to "Hunger Games" actor Liam Hemsworth.
Cyrus, whose "Hannah Montana" TV series made her a teen idol, said she was engaged to marry her Australian boyfriend Hemsworth, 22, after a three-year romance.
Cyrus and Hemsworth have been dating on and off since meeting in 2009 on the set of film romance "The Last Song".
The news quickly became one of the world's top trends on Twitter, bringing thousands of congratulations from fans, as well as questions over the wisdom of settling down so young.
Hemsworth proposed on May 31 with a 3.5-carat diamond ring, according to People magazine. No wedding date was announced, but talk quickly turned to whether they were too young for such a commitment.
"A 3.5-carat diamond ring and an Australian fiancé sound like a fairytale marriage, but teen pop star Miley Cyrus's engagement raises questions about the idealized dream she's modelling for the average teenager. In other words: Can teen marriages last?" asked Allison Terry, writing for the Christian Science Monitor.
The engagement was the main topic on female TV chat show "The Talk" on Wednesday, where "America's Got Talent" judge Sharon Osbourne spoke up for the singer.