Child Stars Burn Out
Entertainment industry pushes child labor limits
Monday, April 5th, 2010
According to British Children's Secretary Ed Balls, current licensing laws established in 1968 for children under 14 years of age in the entertainment industry need to be relaxed. Children, however, are in much greater need of relaxation.
A BBC News report on March 19 stated, “Current rules define performing as acting, dancing in a Ballet, or taking part in a musical.” Because the terms are so vague, Balls’s report claimed that the current laws banning children under 14 from certain performances are inflexible and outdated.
Judy Garland was just 16 when she played Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz.” At the time, in order to keep up with tough movie production studios, actors were fed amphetamines for a boost during the day and barbiturates to wind down at night. The pill-popping habits Garland developed as an overworked child years later led to her death. Now there are laws in place limiting the amount of time a child can spend both preparing for and in the spotlight.
A BBC News report on March 19 stated, “Current rules define performing as acting, dancing in a Ballet, or taking part in a musical.” Because the terms are so vague, Balls’s report claimed that the current laws banning children under 14 from certain performances are inflexible and outdated.
Judy Garland was just 16 when she played Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz.” At the time, in order to keep up with tough movie production studios, actors were fed amphetamines for a boost during the day and barbiturates to wind down at night. The pill-popping habits Garland developed as an overworked child years later led to her death. Now there are laws in place limiting the amount of time a child can spend both preparing for and in the spotlight.
The BBC reported, “Legislation was originally aimed at children performing in the theatre and is limited to an average of around three and a half hours a day.” Time moves slowly when you’re a child. Three and a half hours each day is a long time for a kid to work when he or she should be learning, playing, and just plain growing up.
From local productions of "Annie" to TLC's "Jon and Kate Plus 8," child performers abound. They sacrifice months of childhood just to entertain us. But there are consequences. Take, for instance, the great Balloon Boy hoax of 2009, in which Falcon Heene claimed that he’d flown away in his dad’s homemade balloon. After more than a day of interviews, there was footage of exhausted Falcon vomiting in front of "Good Morning America's" Meredith Vieira. There’s hope yet for little Falcon to turn out okay, but those YouTube videos will haunt him eternally.
I’m not suggesting that all child performers grow up to be drug-addled adults. Plenty of dysfunctional grown ups enjoyed relatively normal childhoods. At the same time, there’s a good number of young-looking adult performers who, if decent-enough actors, can play convincing 11-year-olds. Childhood is precious and fleeting. Most of us only had until we were 14 before we started working. Child performers shouldn’t cease to exist, but they have a better shot at being normal if they spend only a few hours a day in front of the camera.
From local productions of "Annie" to TLC's "Jon and Kate Plus 8," child performers abound. They sacrifice months of childhood just to entertain us. But there are consequences. Take, for instance, the great Balloon Boy hoax of 2009, in which Falcon Heene claimed that he’d flown away in his dad’s homemade balloon. After more than a day of interviews, there was footage of exhausted Falcon vomiting in front of "Good Morning America's" Meredith Vieira. There’s hope yet for little Falcon to turn out okay, but those YouTube videos will haunt him eternally.
I’m not suggesting that all child performers grow up to be drug-addled adults. Plenty of dysfunctional grown ups enjoyed relatively normal childhoods. At the same time, there’s a good number of young-looking adult performers who, if decent-enough actors, can play convincing 11-year-olds. Childhood is precious and fleeting. Most of us only had until we were 14 before we started working. Child performers shouldn’t cease to exist, but they have a better shot at being normal if they spend only a few hours a day in front of the camera.
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