The Curse of the Child Star

[@snorlaxie]

No child should be the primary financial provider for their family, whether it's hollywood or youtube. As a low-income kid, i was always very conscious and stressed about being poor. I tried not to burden my parents by asking for things and i still have to deal with that internalize fear of poverty as an adult. I can't imagine how much more stressful it is for kids who actually are the sole source of income for their family.

[@liastorm795]

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@stellarae8257]

i have experienced the same thing growing up. im 21 now and my family is in a much better spot financially, but i still am so cheap with my money it's insane. it's so stressful. these kids shouldnt be put through that type of pressure.

[@jasperpretzle]

@@nicolasastorgaramirez1206 just a thought but couldn't you maybe write for an art magazine or a fashion magazine? So to combine your education with your passion? Of course that doesn't solve the issue of finding a job, but at least it could be more enjoyable for you this way :)

[@DowntownTasty]

Right and then what kind of parents just stop working to become their kids “manager” (parasite) full time.

[@paigeg888]

and TIK TOK MOMS 😡🤮

[@frauleinfunf]

An interesting note: Chris Colombus directed both Home Alone and the first two Harry Potter movies, and after his experience with Macaulay Culkin's dad he specifically sought out kids without stage parents when casting for Sorcerer's Stone

[@heatherlee2967]

Oooh this is really interesting!

[@Cat-tastrophee]

That was smart and really paid off.

[@DieAlteistwiederda]

I've heard the same thing and it seems like it paid off. These former child actors seem to be relatively healthy and well adjusted people now.

[@mikehawk4715]

@@Cat-tastrophee how was it smart?

[@lindataylor5779]

Chris Columbus was required to only cast British children in the Harry Potter films. There wasn't the lure of Hollywood movie or US TV stardom for those child actors or their parents.

[@StressedDepressednOverdressed]

Ugh can we as a society stop pretending like young adulthood isn’t a thing? It’s basically being a grown child but our brains aren’t done maturing until 25… why do we expect an 18 y/o to be an adult? Speaking as a 24 y/o now, the amount of growing I’ve done is ASTRONOMICAL, I wouldn’t even hang with 18 y/o me.

[@meekonaleash]

Just wait till your 30! It's not much older but you'll see an even bigger change.

[@NadezdaBeka]

Yees! People act like the moment you turn 18 or even 21 you're a grown woman/man and know everything about life. Older people forget how they used to think at that age while teens and kids see you the same as 30 year olds. Or maybe it's that many 20 year olds already have kids and get married so people automatically think you're fully mature.

[@trinaq]

Precisely, our brains are still developing, even as we hit 18 or 21, the "coming of age" milestones. The older you get, the more settled down you may become.

[@augustaseptemberova5664]

I get what you're saying but going by my personal experience, in 5 years you'll say the same, and 5 years later again. I think it's wrong to expect an 18yo to be an adult the same way a 30yo, 40yo, 50yo is an adult. But at some point there has to be a line where you consider people adults, even if it's certain they will continue to grow. I think the difference between being a private 18yo and a public 18yo is .. like, I guess most of us have had some nosy neighbour or whatever who'd try to pressure either us directly or our parents that we act "more proper" by their definition .. if it's a few people that's easy to brush off. But when it's a public 18yo, all the world's nosy neighbours and know-it-alls congregate to give their opinion and "advice". I can't even imagine what it must be like to have this many people yell their opinions at you.

[@NadezdaBeka]

@@augustaseptemberova5664 As for the noisyness. I'm 22 and from my experience people think I should dress more 'mature' because of my age a.k.a. wear tailored clothing on a daily basis or looking hypersexual depending on the occasion. Sometimes I'm in a mood for both but people's ideas of 22 year olds is very disorted. Me wearing a hoodie or jeans and crop top is not childish. People have told me that I look 19-20, people don't even change at that age if they have a normal healthy lifestyle.

[@sofiaquijada5258]

I feel like especially with the harry potter kids, the environment they worked on had a massive effect on how they felt and how they grew up. The harry potter sets were always known as a place where the kids could still be kids and had as much fun as they wanted, and that cannot be said for a lot of sets. The majority of the directors really knew how to work with kids and keep them happy, especially the one for the first two moves. Also the adult members of the cast never really (as far as I can see) displayed any creepiness or paedophilic behaviour, instead they all showed respect for the children and were super nice to them.

[@bintangaimee9069]

Yeah, there are many sweet behind the scenes moment

[@laraantonijamatic7613]

Agree, also I feel like whole celebrity culture is not as big in UK as it is in USA, or it is more focused on Royalty... So the HP kids were not bombarded with paparazzi, constant interviews etc.

[@O-Demi]

There are still several bad stories that come to mind

[@mushy470]

@@laraantonijamatic7613 Emma Watson had quite a terrible time with the media. There were creepy countdowns for when she'd turn 16 or 18 and so much more. Let's not idealise the uk as the media were really quite horrible and creepy

[@laraantonijamatic7613]

@@mushy470 Wow, I really didn't know that. I am from Croatia and most media we get is from US and I always had a feeling that UK media is not as intrusive. Guess I was wrong.

[@gabdar22]

i would looove to see a similar video about "modern child stars", specifically influencers who use their children for content and how that affects those kids

[@gracemcelhone7202]

I second this! I always worry about kids in random videos that go viral but ESPECIALLY parents who have entire instagrams dedicated to their children. I specifically keep my child off social media because I feel that posting so much of another person's life who cannot consent or understand what's going on is just wrong. I also wonder if the law protecting the profits made apply to social media?

[@mitchelljakubka]

This always boggles me. Like, social media apps generally don’t allow kids under 13, but there are MAJOR accounts entirely dedicated to parents using their kids for content. Like, how is that any different?

[@johanabi]

Tiffany Ferg covers this topic a bit in a video!!

[@ozge8262]

a lot of those children didn't grow up yet so we can't be sure of the results. give it a couple years

[@luvnoh8]

Yes! I think looking at newer Disney stars like Zendaya, Bella Thorne, Sabrina Carpenter, and especially now Olivia Rodrigo would be interesting!

[@VVV-mz4tc]

My heart still breaks for the Olsen twins. They were literally working all - the - time. Shooting Full House and in the breaks from the show they had to shoot those straight-to-dvd movies. When you see interviews of them you see how tired they are. No wonder they quit acting the day they turned 18. Honestlty, I think the only thing that saved them is that they had each other.

[@mallorycarpinski1160]

And going on "star cruises" in between shooting. It's really fascinating to see the difference in Elizabeth Olsen. And at the same time I feel awful for thinking of her like that. Parasocial relationships and perceptions, such a mess.

[@ayanomar1408]

I wonder who was thier legal guardian because what parents lets thier kid work all the time?

[@ia490]

@@ayanomar1408 some parents are just like That

[@elfodelputoinfierno]

The three Olsen girls are quite tragic figures. I may not hold that much sympathy towards Elizabeth in particular, but oml, no one deserves to be a kid in Holywood

[@Jeymez]

@@mallorycarpinski1160 ya but despite seeing what her twins sisters went through, that obviously had an effect on her to some degree in becoming an actor. atleast she chose it, but she was around them sometimes when they did the Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley musicals and plays. she hated how they were treated in the public, but she has been on record admitting her sisters taste in fashion kinda rubbed off on her.

[@toxicat]

when we talk about child stars I think the kpop industry is something we should really talk about. the amount of maknaes who debut when they're about 14, having had years of training too, is frankly very disturbing.

[@spntageous5249]

i dont know a lot about the kpop industry but isnt it toxic as hell as well (not like hollywood isnt, it is too)? Like performers being made to have eating disorders, get plastic surgeries and being forbidden to date/have romantic partners due to receiving hate from fanbases and so on? These are all rumors I've heard so i'd love for someone to tell me more about it, or if you know someone who has done a good video on it do link

[@toxicat]

@@spntageous5249 it's not any more toxic than any western industry, don't believe the rumors. yes groups have dating bans in their contracts and such, but I think it's more about how we're more aware of these things in kpop while in Western media we'd never know.

[@lewlavabra6811]

i just said the same thing ! lots of similarities between those two industries

[@Sincerely.Nature]

isn't there a boy group that debuted 5-7 year olds? Like wtf.

[@Sincerely.Nature]

@@spntageous5249 Yeah, being a Kpop idol really isn't a fun job. Your points are right about the eating disorders and no dating rules. : (

[@bicuriousdirtbikeboi2594]

Elijah Wood's parents are a perfect idea of how to keep your kids safe in Hollywood. Elijah said his mother had to become the hard-edge tiger mom in order to keep him safe. Like she would only let him go to press releases and things if she was allowed to be there. Like producers would say "Oh it's okay you don't need to come with him", and she would say things like "If I'm not allowed to be there, then my 10 year old son definetly is not going"

[@JaffaCakes-c7d]

It's honestly concerning when producers don't want the parents there and are open about it. 😮😢

[@ileray7447]

⁠​⁠@@JaffaCakes-c7dI read that back in the day, producers didn’t want parents there to step in when their kids were being mistreated. It’s so sad.

[@lilhonor5425]

I understand the criticism of having adults play teenagers in shows and movies. But honestly I would rather have an adult in certain roles instead of a child actor because of these issues. I know some of cast members of Skins have discussed their struggles.

[@purplehood8418]

I remember hearing about their experiences on a podcast and it was really infuriating.

[@pinkmilk1591]

@@purplehood8418 Listening to Michelles podcast 🙌💗

[@fusetunes]

this is why there need to be more shows set in college/etc. that way there's no need for young actors and adults can play the roles more realistically without looking out of place

[@ozge8262]

@@fusetunes i agree that many shows would be better if they were set in colleges but just telling people to not do shows about high school won't work

[@rosecoloredbby]

@@fusetunes i agree there should be more college centered shows, not only to avoid these issues but also because the representation of that chapter of life is important, but I also wouldn’t want the representation of “middle grade”/ coming of age / teenhood to be erased. I know a lot of people don’t do teen shows correctly anyway, but when it’s done right, it can be helpful and relatable for many.

[@dianamonge4406]

Also, Daniel Radcliffe did struggle with alcoholism and explained that he would go out and think everybody was looking at him for being Harry Potter and drank to forget all eyes were on him but then just couldn't stop, he also said that there's no rulebook for growing up in the spotlight and that's why he is simpathetic when we see a celebrity like Justin Bieber "going off the rails".

[@trinaq]

I feel sorry for Macaulay Culkin. He was a cute child star who grew out of his looks, and due to his dad being a Stage Dad who drained his bank account, forcing him into role after role. He stopped being hired after a while, since nobody wanted to deal with his father. You can't blame Mac from legally emancipating himself from his folks at 14.

[@mayaleeleng]

I feel bad for him too

[@heather-ks8st]

I’m glad he’s gotten out of that and he seems much happier now, it’s also nice to see you him in projects like succession again

[@pfftxoxo1502]

yeah the addams family

[@smarterperson16]

@@heather-ks8st that's his brother, kieran!!!

[@bajabl]

@@smarterperson16 really??

[@Housewifeydaily]

Judy Garland wanted to have a child but it was against her contract with the studio, she secretly got pregnant hoping by the time anyone noticed it would be too far along to terminate... Her mother found out and ratted to the studio who forced Judy to terminate her pregnancy... Honestly so disgusting and sad, I can't imagine what that would feel like :(

[@kagitsune]

And this is why reproduction needs to be a choice. Not something you can be mandated in or out of. v_v Lack of bodily autonomy affects us all, including us who *do* want children.

[@micahsnow346]

Judy’s story is by far the saddest one I’ve heard when it comes to Hollywood childhood darlings. She was truly stifled her entire life.

[@Editorialzero]

@@tehitza shut up. She should have had a choice you dumbass. Imagine if she was 16 and didn’t want the baby but her mother forced her to give birth. That would be just as bad as the alternative but absolutely brain dead morons like you have to ruin the lives of millions because you are selfish and can’t understand bodily autonomy.

[@flavorfulsoups]

@@tehitza no, you twisted their words because you’re personally against female body autonomy.

[@itssarahbeth]

@@tehitza I think she was saying whether you want kids or not it should be your choice your body and no one should force you to terminate the pregnancy if you want your baby

[@ChrisBrooks34]

The history of child stars from the Golden Age to the Modern Age is filled with tragedy. And it feels worse with KZbin family vloggers a hellscape of abuse and bad choices

[@wambuiw5509]

the parents force their children into a mostly toxic lifestyle that they didn't even choose

[@katherinemorelle7115]

From what I understand, kids that are exploited by their families on KZbin and other social media aren't even covered by Coogan's Law at all. There's just no protection for them, and I think the exploitation and lack of privacy goes so much deeper, because these kids aren't really playing roles, they're playing themselves. And how do you protect a kid in a workplace when that workplace is their literal home? It's an awful situation all around. I'm not looking forward to the fallout when these kids hit the age of rebellion.

[@Lalala-nh7ej]

Katherine Morelle yes, and it’s such a new concept that we are yet to experience them growing up and face the consequences of their upbringing. I think we are going to see a lot of children come out with their stories in the future.

[@MissAfricanAmerican99]

I think it's also important to mention how some child stars are exposed to things they shouldn't have to deal with OUTSIDE of the industry bullshit. Like Amandla Stenberg got a ton of hate from Hunger Games fans online because she was playing Rue as a black girl...which is what the story called for in the first place!

[@sarahtaylor4264]

That drama confused me. Did people read the book? it was a pretty diverseset of characters to begin with.

[@borkbork4124]

Yeaaaah, I hated the comments that said “Katniss couldnt relate Rue to Prim if Rue is black” 😬 yikes even though YES in the book Rue is black….. I still wonder to this day why that blew up on the internet ugh

[@ketokeko]

@@borkbork4124 wtf that is so fucked up, they're separating people's feeling as an individual just because of their skin colour??? it doesn't even apply in the case of rue being different to her sister bc of black culture and shit, they're still two girls who touched katniss heart, why because one of them is white and the other is black it should be different? big yikes

[@shezambreen2362]

Oh no, I never knew, that’s horrifying to hear. And Rue was so young in the film too, maybe like 10? That’s tragic, I’m so sorry for her. I hope she’s doing better where she is today

[@stickywiggit]

@@ketokeko SERIOUSLY! Amandla nailed it! The innocence and kindness. How all you want is to protect her. How you'd rather throw yourself off a cliff than hurt her. That was Prim/Rue. That's who they were. Who gives a shit how much melanin is in her skin? What does that have to do with ANYTHING??

[@moomar6379]

The black box is literally terrifying. It’s literally horror movie material

[@SnailQueenForever]

I swear I read a short-horror story about the Black Box. It was so good and so scary.

[@himesilva]

Literal torture, so fucked

[@misolaneous]

Its almost word for word the Chokey from Matilda

[@vincentvangogodancer]

It’s a torture device for sure but Shirley said that she wasn’t scarred for it and understood the need for punishment (paraphrasing). It was normalized.

[@larisamartinez3903]

Poor bbys

[@faithannerush]

interesting note: Zendaya has said that she and her incredible friend/stylist Law Roach intentionally used fashion as a way to distance herself from her Disney childhood. She would show up to events that she had "no reason to be at" for "the look." It aided her in her seamless transition from her "childhood" to adulthood.

[@karabokhanyile]

Yeap,that's actually who everyone should give credit to when discussing Zendaya's success besides her great upbringing,Law did that

[@faithannerush]

@@karabokhanyile LITERALLY. what a freaking legend!

[@GirlDo3]

Maked sense and is very smart. She's lucky she had good role models to guide her through her childhood fame and her coming of age towards a more adult image.

[@tinglar5432]

daniel actually battled with alcoholism in his late teens but luckily got clean really quickly. his career has been so great to watch and he's so eloquent and well spoken and i'm really glad it seems he's been doing really well since. just wanted to comment this since i think that's so important to note since child stars are lumped in either smoothly succeeded in the transition to adult stardom and work or struggled with addictions and hardship only but it's not always so cut and dry. drew barrymore is another great example of this.

[@evda4919]

I’m from the uk and was interested in acting from a young age, the acting industry is very different in London it’s very hard to break into the industry you have to follow the drama school route, i was actually lucky enough to have met Daniel my first year of drama school. He was performing at real well known theatre called the young Vic

[@Lalala-nh7ej]

I don’t think he had an addiction tho. He described it as an “alcohol problem” where he was unable to have fun without alcohol involved. Regardless, I’m glad he figured it out.

[@emmdear2337]

@@Lalala-nh7ej Alcohol dependency is STILL an issue.

[@Lalala-nh7ej]

EmmDear yes, I agree

[@AgentsOfNothing]

@@Lalala-nh7ej he was showing up to set drunk. Alcoholism is when your relationship with alcohol affects your relationships or your work. Some people don't like to label it as alcoholism in themselves because of the stigma around addiction, which I understand.

[@melowlw8638]

this whole child star thing can even extend to sports tbh the perception of young athletes' "shelf life" and the expectation of physical excellence in their performance is just rly interesting and also damaging to our own view of what sport is supposed to be

[@scholasticallynatalie]

Just look at that Russian coach in ice skating :/ Those girls are ruining their joints and their bodies for what?

[@melowlw8638]

@@scholasticallynatalie you mean that eteri woman?? yeah the russian sport coaches are known to be tough when sports is already so demanding 😪😪

[@scholasticallynatalie]

@@melowlw8638 yeah I only heard about it this Olympics cause I'm not too into sports but 😭 those poor kids.

[@TabooTalz]

I'd say it's even worse since physical and mental abuse is an inherent part of elite competitive sports, there's almost no way you're getting to Olympic level without suffering

[@johanna2690]

@@TabooTalz I honestly never understood why people want to compete in the olympics. You have to sacrifice your youth and often your education. But you don't get a lot in return. You don't make a lot of money and the career is very short. So then you are thirty something without a lot of savings and without a degree. It's such a bad deal. Some olympic winners have to sell their medals to get by. It's different when you are in the NFL, NBA or play soccer in Europe. Then the input and outcome match.

[@may.k_me]

Miley's critique by parents of fans is everything I heard and saw Britney go through.

[@stonecake313]

I remember South Park predicted Miley would be the next target after Britney in an episode where they criticized how cruel the media was being to Britney

[@dylanbranam8535]

@@Aschmaed that makes sm sense!! i’ve never realized that

[@cuntyclown]

@@Aschmaed Miley never reached the heights (and thus scrutiny) Britney reached / got. Did Britney not have a proper support system in place? Definitely, but I think she actually had an active pulldown system. Her family were leeches and wanted her to keep giving them attention. Saying downwards spiral has such a negative connotation to the person themselves, as if they couldn't handle it or as if it was inevitable with general fame. Britney's case is none of the sorts, imo. They were taking upskirt photos of her after clubbing and releasing it as if she's the bad person and the world agreed. They made her trip while holding her baby, and the world called her a terrible mother. No support system was ready for something like that nor should it be an indictment of how she couldn't handle it, because she could. They simply said she couldn't and placed her under forced drug holds and after put her in a conservatorship. Britney was not a crack head, yet the world thought she was because she was... clubbing? I'm a student, and if that same standard was held for any of my peers, god knows most of the world would probably need a conservatorship. Otherwise I agree btw! I'm glad Miley had the support from her family. It's invaluable.

[@atlaszurum]

@@cuntyclown youre so so right. But one important part of her conservationship is ableism. Britney is unfortunately not the only person under unfair conservationship. Many disabled and mentally ill people with abusive parents are in them but its not well known. Its a way to dehumanize disabiliy and to abuse people. Im glad shes out, but same cant be said to thousands with her similar conditions.

[@ivy.the.netopir]

Jackie Coogan being Uncle Fester later in 1964. in Addams Family TV series (and strongly advocating for actors of Wednesday and Pugsley to be treated right on set) makes me so happy. Maybe it wasn't as big and didn't bring him as much money as when he was a child actor, but it was a role he actually loved because he could play a character who was very much kid-like, reliving his lost childhood.

[@HelenaIsis616]

And I have noticed that a lot of non Black child celebs like Miley and Christina use Black/Hip Hop culture as a way to shed their “innocent” image.

[@soaribb32]

Even fucking Hilary Duff had her latina era 😂😂😂

[@stepahead5944]

Yes, very important to acknowledge this.

[@faycoleman9023]

Yup

[@ruebenromero2497]

Stan them both

[@katherinemorelle7115]

Absolutely. It really plays into how society sees Blackness as inherently more sexual. so these white girls are able to put it on like a persona (one they can shed at the end of the day and not have to deal with the drawbacks of Blackness). But they want to tap into that perceived coolness and perceived sexiness, and I'm not saying they're doing it on purpose with full knowledge of what's going n, but that doesn't mean they aren't still part of the problem.

[@Eggsther]

there is an actress here in our country (Julia Montes) who was a child star and I remember reading a magazine of her telling stories how her grandma would scold her for playing outside cause she didnt want her to have scars and bruises (and she also doesnt want her to spend time under the sun cause ofcourse, she wants her to be "maputi" [white]). Maybe others will find it just tame but man, some adults really dont want kids to be kids just for the sake of being successful in the industry

[@swain-Ix1tv]

tbh the treatment of filipino child stars as a whole is also pretty shady

[@Eggsther]

@@swain-Ix1tv yup. Also there's something very fishy about casting pale and fair skinned kids as the "good kid" while the "maldita" and spoiled brat roles are given to those who are kayumanggi (tanned/brown skin). I think the tv show Mutya casted someone who's fair skinned and made her lip sync the song "sana (pag ibig na lng ang isipin)" while the child who actually recorded the song is the evil child and you guessed it, she has brown skin. Yikes

[@patriciayanga7845]

@@Eggsther yikes i didn't know about this. that's messed up.

[@ninarances9074]

@@Eggsther Yep. Sadly, it's your typical everyday colorism 🙄🙄

[@supermodelwannabe]

@@swain-Ix1tv Andrea Brillantes is a perfect example

[@kabeom]

shirley temples case is one of the most disturbing cases when it comes to exploiting n taking advantage of child actresses in hollywood :(

[@mayaleeleng]

I feel so bad for her!

[@Eggsther]

the box thing horrified me

[@deasyastarr]

For her to have turned out as okay as she did is astonishing and extremely impressive.

[@doandroidsdream1748]

@@deasyastarr She is probably the most impressive former child star who suffered abuse on set. I would say Drew Barrymore is a close second. They both turned out to be kind, amazing, level headed women.

[@deasyastarr]

@@doandroidsdream1748 Drew Barrymore still admitted she suffered with drug addiction didn’t she? I’m also not sure if Shirley Temple ever said she did as well.

[@SuperRaedizzle]

This is such a well put together video! I feel like in 20+ years we’re definitely going to see the pattern of pressured stars for tiktok and youtube.Right now, unlike Hollywood there’s sadly NO limits/safety measures for social media young stars who get paraded around by their parents for profit.

[@icecreamsundd]

Hi rae

[@Scarshadow666]

Yeah, sadly true and very scary to see! 0_0 What's also scary is that more and more kids often often exposed to the Internet/social media at younger ages and some of them have little to no regulations around it by their parents/guardians (and even the kids that do have regulations often find ways to go around the regulations, so they can socialize better with their friends and other kids). More and more kids are unfortunately seeing being a social media celebrity as what they want to do for a living due to their online exposure, and it might mean we may enter a time where the average citizen may also be considered a mini-celebrity, and have a Perfect Blue lifestyle.

[@avamasquerade]

Not to mention the drug problems. Historically middle managers usually secretly dose child actors (and musicians) until they develop an addiction because then they're easier to dominate and steal from. Nepo baby parents typically know what's up, plus they have their own money both are reasons why nepo babies are less likely to develop a drug addiction. These child "influencers" are fairly well screwed though....I don't know how anyone in good conscience consumes "family" content.

[@MaddyRadtke]

In Olivia Rodrigos new documentary she mentioned briefly that as she grew up in the industry they coddled her and always said she was doing amazing, so in-turn she felt she couldn't trust anyone to tell her truth and became self resenting and self critical. Just thought that snippet was interesting cause I wouldn't have thought that being praised as a child would lead to overly self critical.

[@ariadnaisdead]

Oh yeah it would! Because you wanna keep up in being great and praised so you are constantly trying to be perfect and your self esteem turns around being told by others that you are the best so you can feel the best

[@soaribb32]

Baby, too much of a good thing can always be harmful.

[@ZZ-qy5mv]

It's a real thing. I can relate. I have a hard time trusting praise. Science based child development educators don't even recommend praise and rewards anymore to children (at least not excessively.) You're supposed to acknowledge/connect and allow the kids to find pride in themselves.

[@twiggledowntown3564]

@@ariadnaisdead Me in a nutshell.

[@MaddyRadtke]

@@ZZ-qy5mv I just haven't experienced it so I didn't even think of the nuances of outcomes that could come from praise. Thank you though because now I will be looking into these studies!

[@Eggsther]

I watched Alison Stoner's video where she described driving from one auditon where she had to act cute and child-like and then driving to another for a role of a child that is abused and I think thats fucked up for a kid, like there's no room and time for them to process what theyre doing (and how theyre feeling acting these roles), and like what you mentioned, how they see themselves as these characters since they are just kids and are still finding themseleves

[@Lorena-eh5cl]

Thank god the recruiters didn’t want me. My parents tried to get me into acting/modeling, and at the audition, they loved how I looked, but apparently I had a “bad attitude.” 🤣

[@SoftxBunny]

Same! My mom brought me to an audition to sing when I was Really young. I think I was 6? Anyways I SHOUTED the entire time because I thought that to sing well you needed to be loud. 😂 They didn't like me, at all. Thank goodness!

[@privateemail9755]

Yeah I'm lucky my mom didn't force me to do modeling. We scoped out the building and it was a HELL NO from me. Luckily I was caught by a model recruiter early though, because it prepared me to say no when I was older by the time the Art institute recruiter and the Army recruiters started to swarm in high school.

[@aditiyadav5833]

Having supportive parents literally does wonders

[@amylee8969]

Yeah, but sometimes even that isn’t enough to avoid the toxic child star struggle. Many times, young folks get treated so bad behind scenes that acting is no longer a fun thing that they’re passionate about anymore. It becomes a chore to them….like mopping floors and cleaning tables.

[@Angel_Auraa]

@@amylee8969 I don’t think you understand what the child curse is. The child curse is when audiences get so used to seeing you as a kid that you can barely find work as an adult.

[@Angel_Auraa]

That’s what the child star curse is. Careers fading into obscurity. Not abuse or anything. But that can happen.

[@tjmanfuso7926]

This is such a poised video about the horrors of Hollywood child stars, and your timing couldn’t be better, especially with the entire Kirsten Dunst and Amy Schumer drama at the Oscars. Kirsten is such a good example of the typecast, where she had actual talent but everyone say her, as she put it “the dumb blonde from Bring It On.”

[@dorkiecookie]

Hated that segment, but I am so SO happy she finally got her Oscar nom. Brilliant actress

[@swain-Ix1tv]

oh wow i didn't know people only knew her from one role. honestly kirsten deserves the world, she's a terrific actress and i loved most of her movie roles

[@surreallane9730]

I loved her as Kiki from Kiki's delivery service and Interview with a Vampire. I saw her in the early jumanji too. She deserves more recognition.

[@val-vw1pb]

​@@surreallane9730 never knew she voiced kiki thats so cool! she really is underrated

[@melodysafo5437]

@@surreallane9730 I love Kiki and Jumanji.

[@emericcson123]

I think it should also be noted that Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe came from upper middle class families. So they didn't feel the need to act (or earn money) and acted just because they wanted to. They already had a step up in that sense since they didn't have financial pressure from or for parents behind it all, like kids whose parents are already famous and rich. Shia is VERY problematic, but he (basically) self-biographical movie Honey Boy about being a child star whose family relied on him to work was...eye opening. And tough to watch.

[@ironq.3667]

nothing is more unsettling for me is adults berating children, publicly on national television. idc if its harmless teasing, a child sitting with a stranger as they're being teased its hard to watch like they're being backed into a corner and it's being allowed. they're humans with their own autonomy, and their feelings aren't taken seriously just because they're kids

[@conductor_dee]

Any time I hear about 'kid geniuses' I get super worried for them. It'll be like '8 year old graduates college' and I think about how that was possible. Were the kid's interests at the front line? Are they going to be okay? I can only hope they were allowed to be a kid first and world genius second.

[@AliciaInNevada]

I wonder if they wanted to pursue other careers that are not related to science or mathematics.

[@abrielle13]

I remember when Millie Bobbie Brown became a big name. I was terrified for her. So far she's seemed to make a pretty seamless transition.

[@Memi-cp4yc]

Not scandal free tho

[@abrielle13]

@@Memi-cp4yc So? She's a kid. She's not going to be perfect.

[@sawyer6264]

Aside from Drake grooming her and her parents doing Jack shit about if

[@lewlavabra6811]

yeah, same here. although i think it's a bit too early to assess how well she's actually adjusted, considering how she's still a minor and playing children/teenager roles.

[@JM-hd3lr]

i think she was groomed by an ex boyfriend if I remember correctly

[@jeminix2]

Seeing clips of McCaulay Culkin’s interview as a child was rough to watch. He took those rude remarks so well.

[@mary-elise4345]

I ADORE how you said "there's no expiration date for success"

[@DanielleVlog365]

To this day, I think Judy Garland is the saddest story of a childhood star. On the other hand, the Harry Potter cast is damn near perfect bcs every adult on those sets, including parents, treated them age appropriately, starting with Chris Columbus after he had witnessed the other end of the spectrum.

[@twindrill2852]

I feel so bad for Mrs. Garland, especially with how she never lived through her golden years…

[@heg203]

Such a tragedy. She was so wonderful.

[@meeoowss5666]

about miley, such a good point, all of the parents were worried about their kids being impacted yet no one even questioned her well-being.

[@1renegadegeek]

Great breakdown. Wil Wheaton (who became famous after Stand By Me and later went on to Star Trek) has spoken a lot over the last few years about being pushed into acting by his abusive parents, feeling a lot of stress knowing he was financially responsible for his whole family, and how important it was to have caring people on the set that watched out for him when his parents didn't. It really makes you wonder why this stuff is allowed to go on and why it's been allowed for so long. Is entertainment really *that* important? And with more and more tv, movies, etc. being made it means more kids will end up in that meat-grinder, so to speak. BTW, The Financial Diet did a good piece on Mommy Bloggers and Kidfluensers a while back and it's worth a watch as well.

[@linphillips8331]

I follow Wil Wheaton too, and really appreciate the candor with which he writes about his narcissistic parents. It's been very helpful to me since I also grew up with abusive parents.

[@katherinemorelle7115]

I love TFD. They've managed to come up toward the top of my favourite commentary-type channels, and I'd never would have thought I'd say that about a financial-focused channel. Also, their financial advice is good, and based on a progressive worldview. They also do standout interviews with KZbinrs (especially BreadTubers, I've noticed), and for those unaware, it was their interview with Jeanette that was featured on this video. Super underrated channel.

[@izzyc127]

I have watched him talk about that in the HBO Max documentary Showbiz kids and he mentioned that in Post Star Trek: TNG, he had people go up to him and shout shut up Wesley in his face because his character was infamously annoying and Captain Picard also shouted that at him. He even got hate mail as well, luckily that doesn’t happen anymore and he’s thriving.

[@CL-je6sv]

I don't get it. I didn't really find Wesley that annoying, but even if I did, I can't imagine harassing the actor that played the character.

[@nnn326]

They really added an extra layer of "24/7 acting" with Miley Cyrus by literally fusioning her and her character when they called it Miley Stewart. It's already hard for some people to separate actors from their characters's qualities, imagine that in addition of that she played only one super know character for several years. I wonder how many people literally felt like it Hannah Montana growing up and not Miley.

[@lkcullen1918]

And not only that, but having some of her actual family members on the show, and having THEM keep their names as well. That's so strange just to think about.

[@Morgan-lm6ns]

@@lkcullen1918 her dad was Robby Ray not Billy Ray and they changed the characters name to Miley cause she already had too many names to make it easier cause her birth name was Destiny Hope

[@carolinalopes7640]

​@@Morgan-lm6ns robby ray is still pretty close to billy ray lmao not even talking about the fact that they used his actually irl music for the show. and it doesnt matter that miley names used to be destiny, miley was still her personal name and they changed for that reason. dont forget about auntie dolly also. it was all very strange!

[@Morgan-lm6ns]

@@carolinalopes7640 i was just stating a fact, cause thats what Miley said in an interview, also as we know it was an idealized children appropiate version of her, is really in her book that we get to know the real Miley and Billy clearly isnt as good as he sems in the show, they are not even talking anymore

[@NightshadeGoddess]

This also goes for family vlogs. I find it super unsettling to think about parents filming their children for, essentially, everyone on the internet to see... and they don't ever stop filming, the child gets badly injured and they film it, instead of comforting the child.

[@whatalsaid]

Moral of the story: If your kid doesn't want to be a star, don't force or guilt them into it. But if acting in movies, TV and theater is their absolute dream, then support them, but still tread carefully. There's a LOT of suspicious characters in that business who have no problem with taking advantage of your kid.

[@amylee8969]

@whatalsaid If they’re truest passionate and want to act, parents can support that but keep an eye on what’s going on. If they notice anything suspicious or they notice their child feeling uncomfortable, they need to make wise decisions as parents for their child’s own well-being.

[@thegreatrewatch7327]

Love you content Mina! I recently discovered your channel and have been hooked! Great research and really educational so thank you. Your outfits are always awesome too haha

[@Myriamakk]

Same! I don’t usually subscribe but she’s so well spoken and intelligent that I really wanted to not miss any video

[@leonor_ibh]

Same!!! Mila and her content is so perfect i love it all!!

[@clashwithwords]

Very easily one of my favorite channels

[@doandroidsdream1748]

For me Elijah Wood is a perfect example of a very high profile child actor who transitioned very easily to adult hood while maintaining a very strong career. As far as i can tell he has never been involved in any drama or scandals either.

[@milkglassfairy7641]

Yessss!!

[@yandie]

Incidentally, Elijah was also in The Good Son, with Macaulay Culkin. That movie actually terrified me when I saw it (for context, I am roughly the same age as both of them)

[@tiarezavaleta8850]

@@yandie It was scary for me too. Maybe it is not as bad? I should see it again.

[@isaacgray2909]

Simiarily Elijah Wood said in an interview that child abuse including CSA is rampant in Hollywood and that the only reason why didn't experience these treatment is cuz his mom didn't allowed him to go to parties to other strangers as she cares about his well-being.

[@mrconfusion87]

Elijah was one of the luckiest ones..

[@lisal.5450]

Hey Mina, I love your videos! A little off topic but still: would you ever consider doing a video showing us what is in your closet? Your outfits are always great and I really enjoyed that video you did a while ago where you showed us how you style your clothes. Anyway, great video as always!

[@eleisatrujillo3398]

Great idea!!!👍👍👍I would love💓 to see that and I'm sure that many others will enjoy that as well!💕😃🙂

[@the_gemmapelle434]

I would love this! Especially the vintage op shop finds 🙏

[@lemily1705]

I'd love that so much fjsnd

[@ayezha2153]

she has a video called “my vintage victorian wardrobe” + QnA. It’s old ( was posted 1 year ago ) so i don’t know if it’s what u asked about yet i still enjoyed it :D

[@dominiquepocopio777]

Yes please

[@somethingsomething9479]

Honestly like 90% of a minor's earnings in showbiz should go straight into a bank account that they can't access until they're of age. [Almost] No child needs that sort of money, and that would probably discourage a fair amount of parents who just wants their children to be the breadwinners of the family (Certain terms and conditions apply, since some families are in true financial strife and might need a higher percentage, but that should be argued in front of a court of law and still be kept a close eye on after the parents get access to a larger percentage)

[@sd-ch2cq]

Agreed: the money should be so far in the future that it's just not worth it for greedy parents. Although that won't stop stage-moms who want to live through their children.

[@ritasprinkle5098]

Yes!

[@brynna8619]

The problem now I think is more that the family is left in charge of setting up the trust that is supposed to have whatever percentage. Jeannette talked more about it on that podcast

[@KH0LRA]

I still find it adoring how Shirley ended up being a really great politician. The ex-actors who became politicians in my country end up being total dunces once they get into place and only sit for extra fame 😭

[@Bluestar-nn2uh]

Actually that's Melissa Joan Hart.

[@paulineyawitz7885]

Shirley wasn’t a politician, she was head of protocol of the diplomatic corps at the White House and later became an ambassador for Czechoslovak and is credited for helping with the smooth transition from being a communist state to democracy. She did try for a seat in Congress but lost to Ronald Regan.

[@Kitty-hf6vq]

What I despise the most is that the general public seems to treat those child stars who fall from grace as a sign that they have gotten too arrogant or conceited when they are dealing with a type of pressure that not even the average adult would have to deal with It's not a case of "fame have gotten to their heads" but a legitimate flaw on the industry

[@user-gu9yq5sj7c]

It's also bullying and p3do from the public. Like countdowns to age 18 for child performers. Like on the Olsen twins. Or p3do comments towards child performers on social media. Hana Kimura was bullied to kill herself.

[@meekonaleash]

Jade from victorious married a guy she met on set. He's 20 years older than her and they've been together since she was a teenager

[@meekonaleash]

"Gillies met her now-husband, Michael Corcoran, when they were working together on the Nickelodeon show, Victorious. At the time, Corcoran was 36-years-old, and Gillies was 16-years-old. Gillies was one of the stars of the sitcom and Corcoran co-wrote and produced the songs Gillies sang on the show.Feb 7, 2022" How Elizabeth Gillies Met Her Husband, Michael Corcoran

[@cuteboulette]

Disgusting... Where were her parents?

[@JC-yy8iv]

Reminds me of Celine, she married her manager at 19, but he’d been her manager since she was 12 and he was 38 😬😬😬

[@JC-yy8iv]

Oh yeah and Alanis having a romantic relationship with Dave Coulier who she met on the set of her Nickelodeon show at 14

[@Martina_E]

Disgusting 🤮

[@AJ-hm5qe]

I remember when Miley was breaking free from her Disney image and I was like 10 so I was influenced by everyone thinking she was "going crazing" and all the other horrible stuff they said about her and I look back and wish I could've seen it the way I do now and had more empathy for her and what she had to go through. I'm just glad I'm more aware now of what stars have to go through and understand their life choices and be more judgemental, and I feel like videos like this are really important to help educate about issues that most were part of the problem as a young child

[@amylee8969]

Back in the day, I wasn’t a fan of her or her show. Hannah Montana just wasn’t my thing. But I do feel sorry for everything she must’ve went through. At the start of her Disney Channel career, she seemed passionate and excited about her Hannah Montana role. But as time went along and things got worse behind set, she probably didn’t enjoy it as much and started seeing is as nothing more than a dreadful chore that she had to complete to please her parents, fans are the time, and everyone around her.

[@moxiec6174]

Fun fact when he was older Jackie Coogan played Uncle Fester in the original Adams Family series!!

[@valancystirling]

It’s kinda ironic how the first Disney child star (I forgot his name but he voiced Peter Pan) lived such a sad tragic life that really saw itself replicate itself to the other child stars that followed, like legit crazy to the that the VERY FIRST Disney child star ended up the same way that we call it now

[@ronkihini]

Bobby Driscol

[@siovxsies]

His death and what happened afterwards is so gutting 😞

[@mackenzieboric6029]

Barbara Walters is like the Margaret Thatcher of the journalism world. As a journalism student who looks for inspo, she ain’t it with how she handles her interviewees

[@juanchoresultay2704]

I dont get it what is parallel between these two ladies I mean I get the controversial policies or things Thatcher did but about Barbara? bias journalism ?

[@W0wxio]

@@juanchoresultay2704margaret thatcher got the nickname “the iron lady” and i think that also applies to Barbara

[@juanchoresultay2704]

@@W0wxio Oh Thanks

[@juanchoresultay2704]

@@W0wxio What would Barbara’s title be though?

[@W0wxio]

@@juanchoresultay2704 i think “the iron lady” would also be a good name for Barbara 😅😂

[@aloe704]

*Millie Bobby Brown is another example of someone who had to grow up WAY too quickly*

[@amylee8969]

Even though Hilary Duff managed to maintain a clean image during her days of constantly being on camera, I feel like the same goes for her.

[@Hey-cc3rs]

Zendaya’s career is the ideal career for child stars

[@ru1634]

But unfortunately her kind of story is very, very rare

[@anpatman]

Her parents are super supportive and didnt exploit her. She even lived with them until very recently

[@anaraquel7841]

Not only Zendaya, the actors in the Harry Potter series are also pretty estable.

[@broh528]

You forgot that Sheila sold out to the Evl

[@VickyAvila3]

The same happened in kpop industry. During the trainee years most of the idols are MINORS who sign with an agency and train for a lot of hours everyday + go to school (or dropped it). Some of them even get surgery and make diets to fit the idol image more (they tell them how much weight they have to lose and give them a ridiculously amount of days to achieve that goal) What's terrifying is that they are just becoming younger and younger... (example: NI-KI going to a reality show for three months to then debut at the age of 15... and he wasn't the youngest in the show) EVEN after they debut they still have to practice everyday (no vacation, some without beeing able to see their families and working on special dates)... Most idols talk about their trainee years as something that was necessary but terrible and sad for them. This video made me sad because it's hard to see how much some people lose of their life and themselves just to entertain others...

[@VickyAvila3]

ALSO thank u so much for the video! I love to listen to you and I'm always up to listen the interesting topics you bring to us

[@juanchoresultay2704]

and worst is the sexualization of kpop minors in tha industry there

[@Sickapig]

Björn Johan Andrésen and Brooke Shields have some of the most heartbreaking stories. Legitimately sexually exploited as children. Its disgusting.

[@AlexHider]

Brooke Shields’ come up and the entire story of her young nudes is literally bonkers, I wanted to strangle every adult involved in it

[@KawaiiStars]

worst part is that brooke doesn't fully think she *was* exploited,

[@rekkie142]

​@@KawaiiStarsfr I feel like to this day she kinda tries to deny what actually happened to her🥲

[@KawaiiStars]

@@rekkie142 yeah, she's slightly aware since, she says she'd NEVER allow her own children to do that and that she was touched by their reactions to that part of her history, but for the most part i also agree she's in denial truly 😔, she deserved better

[@koalapayslater]

​@@KawaiiStarsdenial is also part of trauma response so I believe she may have some type of ptsd. In general I think it's still a very private matter and it's good that she's protecting herself from her past in public

[@vannieleigh]

These Instagram influencers that are minors really trouble me. And as a high school and middle school teacher I see how their actions effect other kids their age. And I wonder about their safety and health and how their parents are or are not protecting them.

[@sapphic.flower]

Not gonna lie, I still like to day dream about being some kind of celebrity just for fun but no way would I actually be able to handle it. How these child celebrities are bred and controlled by the industry and media is so disturbing, I wouldn't wish that on anybody.

[@twiggledowntown3564]

Same.

[@shoshanaloomer]

Same

[@heg203]

I did a lot of acting as a kid - mostly in NY on stage, but some commercials and films, too - and I’ve seen some crazy horrific parent/child interactions. For ex, I was auditioning for the national tour of Annie, and after a round of cuts, a girl who hadn’t made it tearfully broke the news to her mom, who promptly slapped her across the face and screamed at her for “failing the family.” My mom (an actress herself and very chill) and a few others, physically blocked this woman from her daughter and the police were called by the stage managers. Just one story of many. *shudder*

[@Zapporah85]

I've never understood how acting gets around child labor laws. At the very least, there needs to be better protections for these children. I'd like to see more limitations put on productions that want to include children, including statements as to why it's necessary to have a child play that part and what the set will do to keep that child safe. In addition to protections against their own parents. This has always been why I don't like Will Smith and other actors that get their kids into acting. In a perfect world, I don't think there would be any child actors, but that's not realistic.

[@ozge8262]

I think many actors and actresses know enough about the industry to be able to protect their children though

[@SalmanHusainGplus]

in some states the child labor laws have carved out exceptions for child actors. You can't spend six hours a day working at Walmart but they'll let you spend six hours on ser

[@IndiaMyers]

Will only put his kids into acting because they were interested. And most of the films his kids did he also played a staring role, so he was able to keep them safe. And as soon as they said they were over acting no one forced them to act….Willow and Jaden seem really well adjusted. There are way worse people to aim your anger at than Will Smith.

[@Pomagranite167]

When its adults acting, it's "A real job, so much harder than it looks, you guys dont know how hard actors have it, how much work and effort and time goes into it, how demanding it is, it's a really stressful job and should be taken seriously". But when it's a child acting, it's "so easy! LABOR LAWS??? They are just having fun in front of a screen, it's not anything serious, not like we are making them fix machines or file taxes or manage a company! It's not serious, its a cushy job that requires no effort at all- great jo for kids!" Which is it, hollywood?

[@niawohl3377]

Will Smith’s kids acting is the best case scenario. They were with their father, their parents understood the industry, and their family was not relying on their earnings. Both Jaden and Willow seem to be doing well. I don’t think there was any problem with them acting as children. It’s basically an extracurricular and family bonding activity in that case.

[@thegreatsaiyafan]

Reminds me of how sick I was when I heard Dove Cameron's mother wrote a whole book about "how to raise a child star" or whatever. Makes me seriously ill. These people are NOT fit to be parents. Your kids are not your provider, YOU PROVIDE FOR THEM!!!

[@littleseaturtle]

it's so easy (and unfortunately common) for children to be exploited in the entertainment industry, not only physically/mentally by the execs but financially by their parents. every time i see a child star, i worry for them.

[@BG12sofia]

It is said that Chris Columbus learned from the mistakes made with Macaulay Culkin so, when casting the kids for the HP movies he made sure they had decent parents. If it were me, I would never let my kids get into the entertainment industry until they were eighteen, even if they wanted to. Except for very few cases, no kid or teen star comes out of it unscathed.

[@user-gu9yq5sj7c]

That's why should parents look after their kids during them performing.

[@IsSarahPi]

People who get mad at Miley Cyrus, etc for having a more sexual image need to learn to parent their own damn kids

[@hannahthereseavila1565]

If Miley were a man they won't say anything about it. If these parents were mad at Miley for having a more sexual image imagine how they approach the topic of sex with their daughters. Or the possibility of them slut shaming their own daughters. Having a sexual image isn't inherently bad unless it was a child star or if it was forced against them. But in Miley's case she wanted to be more sexual. It was done with her consent. Granted she only did it as an act of rebellion but that was how she chose to express herself.

[@LeBatteur]

Exactly. It isn’t Miley’s job to raise your kids, she’s her own person and it was never her responsibility to retain a PG persona in her personal life as she became an adult. She’s a real person who should be able to live her goddamn life.

[@toomessy]

Lol, I remember people, specifically parents, getting mad at Selena Gomez's for saying "damn" in one of her earlier songs. It was INSANE.

[@GirlDo3]

@@toomessy Like they did not ask to be the role model of hundreds of thousands kids. It's so much to put on someone's shoulders yet alone a teenager.

[@amylee8969]

@LeBatteur I agree. I was never really a fan of Miley, especially during that phase of hers when she had a desperate attempt to grow out of her child star phase and into a sex symbol. But it’s the parent’s responsibility to raise their own kids and teach them good values, not the celebrities on tv. It’s ridiculous how some parents will look for anything or anyone to blame for their kid’s flaws except themselves. The only kids that a celebrity is responsible for worrying about is their own.

[@angietoonz6605]

I'm glad you mentioned reality tv stars at the end briefly. I've been rewatching Jon & Kate Plus 8 on Discovery+ and since learning about how Kate abandoned Collin and sent him for 'treatment' cause of his anger issues, but never visited him and wouldn't tell Jon where he was. Eventually Collin got in contact with his dad and now lives with him and even Hannah moved in with her dad. Kate basically gave up on Collin but never once thought "maybe putting him in front of cameras caused this". While rewatching the show, I notice how often she sort of ignores him or just sighs at him, but rarely did the same with the other kids even if they were acting out too. And when listing traits about the kids, they were all so cute but then she only ever called Collin "Stubborn". He was literally 2.

[@lestranged]

The kids were so exploited in that show and in a lot of TLC shows. For example the Duggar father from '19 kids and counting' took all the money and never set up accounts for any of the 19 kids. Even after some of them were adults and married and starring on that "Counting On" show, Jim-Bob kept collecting all the money and one of his daughters had to sue him to get her share. The kids should get MOST of the money because the only reason these families even had a TV show was their large number of kids.

[@blakelay]

When I was younger and even still a bit today when I heard of someone younger then me being super successful I would get jealous but now I am a little over 30 and more and more when I hear of a successful young person under 20 I am afraid for them. I think seeing what happens with Britney Spears really opened my eyes to the brutal reality of child/teen stardom. Fame is abuse even for adults and children shouldn't be put through that!

[@lukewarmsinkwater5857]

the feeling you're describing as the fear of missing out is called "Torschlusspanik" ("fear of a goal/gate closing") here in Germany and it stems from the time where there were walls with gates around towns that were closed at night. We all get that once in a while but I think it's calming to know that nowadays a lot of those fears are metaphorical doors.

[@killjoy8372]

"do I think it's a bit dystopian that women have to sexualize themselves to be seen as women? Yes" Thank you!! Omg that is the most concise summary of my feelings on that that I've ever heard. Maybe it's cause I'm asexual and don't want to be seen as sexy or sexual, but it's always bothered me how girls are kind of expected to immediately start being sexy and "embrace their sexuality" to be considered adults. Nobody wants to stop and consider if maybe that's fucked up. maybe I don't want to be considered less of a woman just because I don't want people to look at me sexually, and women should be able to distinguish themselves from being children without automatically jumping straight to being sexy.

[@bgs7529]

I cannot believe some aspects of this child labour are still not.. illegal. Sara-lynn from Bojack Horseman is such a good critique that makes me cry everytime I rewatch the show.

[@dairymold]

When I was a kid, I had a little obsession with (the book) Treasure Island and, being the kind of (yes, autistic, lol) kid who looked up anything/everything related to a topic on Wikipedia in the mid-00s, I also ended up reading a lot about Disney's child star Bobby Driscoll, who famously played Peter Pan as a voice and stage actor for Disney as a tween and went down (as you said in your video) "path #2". His story has always stuck with me as one of the many horror stories associated with the woes of child-stardom. He was one of those people who Disney discarded when they decided he was no longer a 'lovable, sweet boy' while he aged into adolescence... I worry so, so much about those kids who were in Stranger Things and It (both of those having some casting overlap). I worry so much about Millie Bobby Brown in particular, due to how many adults refuse to observe her boundaries in public settings. When you mentioned young Olympians, I had the same reaction instantly. I kinda felt my stomach drop when I saw Quan Hongchan dive for the first time this past summer. At only 14, I can't help but worry about how much they're being pushed by their coaches and parents. Kids need to be allowed to exist imperfectly. Kids learn by making mistakes and when they're either not allowed to make mistakes or those mistakes are immortalized in the media and pop culture consciousness, that's no longer a childhood. It's a waking nightmare.

[@aurea.]

Yes! I was shocked to find out about Driscoll. Unbelievable.

[@vubsi]

I recently watched the documentary ”The Most Beautiful Boy in the World” which told the story of the Swedish child actor Björn Andrésen. He started his career at 16 in 1971 and the story really made me think about this topic. I highly recommend the documentary to anyone interested in this topic (if you can find it somewhere). Great video as always!

[@ladybird1483]

I think one of the most successful child stars that wasn't mentioned is Saoirse Ronan. She started so young because she truly wanted to be an actress yet her parents made sure she was secure and safe on film sets. Now she's such a well-respected, well-known, one of the best actress of her generation and is almost always nominated for the Academy. She's never had any controversies or scandals and all her colleagues have nothing but kind words about her. Until today, she continues to rise. 💜

[@angeliquespencer5301]

I’m surprised you didn’t mention Judith Barsi! She was a child voice actor who was financially supporting her parents and her dad was an alcoholic and so abusive to her and her mother. She and her mom ended up murdered by her father. It was so sad and truly shows the worst that could happen when parents force their children to become child actors/performers so that they can be the family breadwinner.

[@hasmasch]

Yep yep yep 💔🐤

[@britt905]

You description of the “black box” made me cry. Absolutely horrifying.

[@lesbianavenger]

for real literal evil :(

[@tylenolover]

Zendaya is the only former child star that I’ve seen turn out normal. I think it’s very obvious she has really good, normal, and support parents

[@whatalsaid]

Her mom worked as a manager at a Shakespeare theater for a time, so she grew up around performers and naturally fell in love with arts. UNLIKE a majority of child stars, who are pushed by their parents for fame and money, Zendaya actually has a passion for acting and performing.

[@TempleofBrendaSong]

And Brenda Song (peace be upon Her)

[@niawohl3377]

A lot of others have turned out well; Mila Kunis, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Drew Barrymore (eventually), Neil Patrick Harris, Emma Watson, and more.

[@ketokeko]

@@niawohl3377 natalie portman went trough a lot of sexualization in her young age, i'm glad she's good now

[@exaggeratedswagger7485]

Y'all always say that but there's so many other examples lmao

[@lewlavabra6811]

not to be 'that' person but when i saw your title i immediately thought about kpop idols. of course those are two different industries, different countries, different cultures, and i'm not korean myself so i might be lacking perspective on how they deal with child stardom. but the fact that so many idols start training and then debut on stage before they finish high school makes me somewhat anxious, especially considering how strict most companies are. and obviously a lot of those kids *want* to perform, they *want* to be on stage, but it doesn't make the consequences of such a harsh environment any less damaging. i remember first getting into bts and gasping in shock when i found out that jungkook was 15 in "no more dream" ... and now, the older i get, the younger new gen idols become, and i honestly don't know how to balance this discomfort with my inherent maternal need to dote over them :')

[@_Ice.]

That was exactly my first thought too!! I noticed there’s an incredibly short career life for idols - idols that are turning 30 are already considered old, so idols debut as young as possible. Recently a group called IVE debuted a maknae born in 2007 - she’s three years younger than me and I’m not even out of high school yet. I was so torn between wanting to support her and disliking debuting children in the industry. Like you said, I truly have no idea how it’s handled, and I’m sure it changes company to company, but I’ve heard enough stories to make me worry. At least in idol groups, they’re not going through the industry alone.

[@SoraUsagiKuro]

Yeah, i remenber being very concerned for Taemin when i got into kpop in 2011 and learning that he "started" in middle school, and watching the first show shinee had was a dating one with fans and a gron ass woman choose him for a date , that was very very wierd. they were kids. Also in the DVD I AM with show the SM family concert in new york but also archive video of sm idols, we can see their audition. they were 10 ! They had to balanced school (with is very strich in korea) and training ! I vividly remenber a passage of teen Sungmin being sulky and not wanted to train, trying to hide from the camera. being a teen you know. SM entertainement does their artists very poorly and a lot of them are subjet to anxiety and depression, very dangerously. Better laws need to come for kids star for they well being.

[@thousandfarenheit]

@@_Ice. IVE especially makes me feel uncomfortable because their concept isn’t cute or school-age - they’re styled to look expensive and alluring. I enjoy the songs but it bothers me how they’re so young but expected to be charismatic and sexy.

[@_Ice.]

​@@thousandfarenheit I totally agree, it feels different in that sense. Other groups that debuted young like NCT Dream had a very young concept until they were all adults - I still don't know how to feel about children in the industry but at least they were treated their age (although Mark & Haechan are in 127 anyway). I don't think this is exclusively a kpop thing either, there are a lot of young people around the world making an effort to be as adult-like as physically possible, but the extra company management element of kpop makes me uneasy about it sometimes. I respect the idol's individual decisions, but I've heard a number of them say they wish they'd at least waited to train/debut until they were out of school. I love girl crush but we can have age-appropriate concepts too!!

[@cherryblossom7120]

Basically kids going to the military to be soldiers.

[@taralinn863]

Bobby Driscoll was a child star for Disney in the early days. He was the animation model and voice actor for "Peter Pan." They loved him until he hit puberty, they terminated him due to his severe acne. Ridiculous. It's awfully sad how they refer to him as a "Disney Legend" now when they didn't care about him then. His drug addiction caught up with him and was buried in a mass grave because the public believed him to be vagrant. So incredibly sad.

[@000snow000]

Your pronunciation of "l'ordinateur" and "merci beaucoup" was really good!! 👏

[@rafaeladefaria8803]

As a History passionate, I love how in almost every video you show the History of the theme to open the debate, it shows a very solid base of understanding something to then build an opinion about it. Thank you!

[@kuhntzzz]

i’m not a child star, let alone a child actor i’d say. but when i was 5 years old my mom got me a talent agent and forced me to go to every audition i got despite me crying and begging her not to until i was 9 years old, and even then she relentlessly guilt tripped me for not wanting to do it anymore and told me i would regret it. i’ve been in 2 things, one a student film and one a music video, so i’m not an actor and i’m not good at it either. but i think my experience is very telling of how truly damaging the industry is for actual child actors, because if my experience was traumatizing for me and i’ve only done 2 small things in total, i cannot even begin to imagine how terrifying and traumatizing it would be for others. it seriously ruined my sense of identity and self-worth, something i’m still trying to undo to this day.

[@safiya9064]

I’m so sorry for your experience :(. I really hope you healed/ or are healing. So gross to force your child to do something they don’t enjoy.

[@blackmirrorprisoners]

It's honestly horrifying that kids who are forcibly recorded for youtube have zero rights.

[@keilij.1706]

How did you know I’ve been binge watching child star videos for days now??? So excited for this one I could listen to you talk about anything

[@evmrc820]

The thing you said about anxiety when seeing a successful child; I remember watching the X factor when I was younger and hating the child singers because I thought they were so spoilt and lucky that their life was made already and they were younger than me. I felt like they had things handed to them and I had to work shitty waitressing jobs. Now as an adult I feel so sorry for those children who were exploited by media, and relieved that my parents never made me do that and that I had a relatively healthy childhood. Love u Mina 🥰❤️

[@ck-so6un]

i can’t describe how much i love mina’s content

[@francinemxs]

I feel like a video on youtube/social media families would be super interesting ! it's that similar issue of parents prioritizing their wants and dreams over their children

[@leolonieisenberger8695]

I think a child star that needs to be talked about more often is Millie Bobby Brown. She’s been the prime bread winner in her family since she was 12 (when stranger things became a worldwide phenomenon) and possibly before that too in her smaller projects and also owning a beauty brand and having a 5 year contract with Netflix. Mind you she has two present parents in her life as well as two older siblings. Her middle name is also her fathers name if that says anything … Her mistreatment from the public is unbelievable from sexualization when she was young and countdowns to when she turned 18, constant harassment ie; the homophobic and drake aka pedophilia ‘memes’, being told she looks old, bullying her off many social media platforms, video essays on how she’s annoying when she was just acting like a kid would, and continuous misogyny comparing her to her co-stars. And of course all while dealing with Hollywood: paparazzi and grooming situations etc and the fact she has HUGE viewership/critics of her life all while growing up as a teen girl. I really admire her headstrong and positive outlook on her public persona, although she doesn’t share to social media much anymore I’m hopeful that she has a great support system. Millie is nothing but talented as well as kind hearted, and anyone who has ever worked or interacted with her would say as such. I hope she can grow out of this and maybe even talk about it in the public one day, because if anyone deserves closure and to be angry it’s her. Millie is doing great things and really is such a beautiful person inside and out! She has a bright future ahead of her being a phenomenal actress and already a Hollywood classic, but cannot wait to root for her whether that be in acting or not.

[@celino22]

I was really obsessed with this subject in 2019 and I think the story that stuck with me the most was Corey Haim's life where he was your typical 80's star child with thin features, white and blonde but unfortunately tragic things happened behind the scenes of his movies which led to a long life of substance abuse before he died at just 40 and even during that time he was basically forgotten in Hollywood after his "cuteness" was not long interesting

[@nualunatic2560]

lucky me, I'm a visual artist - in our profession, child stars are a myth - much more often artists would realize at 40 that they have something to say - so I always told to myself, oh I have time... now that I'm 45, I have no more excuses :D

[@sd-ch2cq]

Fear of being a boring cliché (another bored proffesional leaving their office job to go find-themselves through art) is one of the reasons i don't want to pick up painting or writing. The other reason is a complete lack of artistic talent on my part.

[@nualunatic2560]

@@sd-ch2cq uhh I hear you (no idea on my part if I have actual talent for fine arts so stuck at a desk job as well - a creative one but still...) I always thought and was always told that one day, you'll have something to say that just has to come out and you'll be powerless to stop it - I guess that's just another myth - but I hope for both of our sake it isn't. If you wouldn't think that about yourself (the lack of artistic talent part) what would you choose to create though?

[@belenlangdon]

Yes yes totally! There has been many times where I have felt completely useless seeing 17 years old soccer players which are millionaires playing in the most well known soccer teams, or seeing singers and actors that by the age of 18 are winning several Oscars or Grammys and have their life completely financially maintained for the rest of the lives and probably their kids

[@maz2483]

Jude Bellingham comes to mind haha

[@lizbethnava6318]

YES!!👏🏼 as a resident of the silicon valley, the beliefs of the parents are passed on to the children and it SHOWS. Being low income in this area has been such a struggle due to those beliefs.

[@bigppisha]

I'm amazed how actor Björn Andrésen was not brought up in this video. He was the start of so many East Asian trends when it comes to men, the whole Bishōnen boy character. He has had such a sad life, his grandmum pretty much forced him to audition for films when he was always more interested in music and his first breakout role was Death In Venice, when he was only 15 in which he had to play a kind of love/obsessive interest for the main character who was an adult man. Björn was only 15 at the time, and during his audition he was asked to take off his shirt and later just be in his underwear in a room full of adult men, and Visconti (director for Death in Venice) kept calling him beautiful and just breathtaking. I can't imagine how uncomfortable that must've been for such a young boy. Things didn't get easier after that, I think his mother was found dead in the woods, he never knew his father, he was exploited by older men all through his early teenage years, Visconti even owned his face for three years after the movie came out so he was in the spotlight all the time. There were very strict rules regarding him where no one in the team was even allowed to look in his direction but from his experiences, he was always only seen as eye candy and a trophy to people that rule didn't apply to. And once he grew older, he was just abandoned really. His life got even worse but gosh, I cannot believe how far people are willing to go just to earn money.

[@diannalove1]

I totally agree with your point on where some of the Miley hate could be explained by her refusal to perform rich white femininity as opposed to a "rich white trash" aesthetic, but I think a lot of people also had issues with her clear appropriation of black culture for her own personal commodification. She also claimed that her new style was "Philly" inspired... It felt completely inauthentic and backwards to a lot of people, and I think that's justified...

[@hollynotholy]

I watched Ask a Mortician's video on one of the first Disney child stars that fell from grace and it's heartbreaking. It's honestly abhorrent to think to this day the problem still stands. That even though some precautions have been made, most child stars end up having to go through horrible things on their way from childhood cuteness to adulthood in front of cameras.

[@archer1949]

The best dissection of the tragic Child Star career trajectory was Sarah Lynn’s arc in Bojack Horseman. That show was the best. Period.

[@greenartisticfiend]

YES! agreed

[@Angel_Auraa]

The most common end for child stars is honestly just fading into obscurity. Their confidence gets affected when they have a harder time getting roles as adults.

[@Chuuzus]

amanda bynes was the best nickelodeon actress. the amanda show was really good and she should have been better protected

[@adeleaslan8182]

Hairspray was the first movie I watched with her and I felt so sad knowing how awful her life was going while smiling through the whole film

[@junotmintz7404]

For real, her comedic chops were immaculate! Loved the Amanda Show as a kid. My tiny mind was blown when I first watched She's the Man -- that movie was totally a formative Trans Masc Childhood Experience™ for me (second only to the intense gender envy I harboured towards Ash Ketchum, lmao)

[@plamondonworks6948]

I don't think we can talk about social media child exploitation enough, so I'd love to see you tackle this issue. As an adoptee I particularly concerned with parents who put their adopted children's lives online before they can consent and who may even be adopting for social and financial gain. I.e. the Stauffer situation.

[@bedoil]

A child film star story I find incredibly interesting is Bjorn Andresen, who played a role in the 1970s movie Death in Venice. He was cast for his appearance and on set he wouldn't be allowed to stay in the sun for very long or play around because those who were higher-ups in the making of the movie were concerned that his looks would be harmed. Not to mention, he was also quite objectified.

[@gracemccabe4642]

Love your videos Mina! Elizabeth Taylor didn't get out totally unscathed either, despite her strong mindset. MGM arranged her first marriage when she was 18, which apparently was common practice at the time. She then suffered years of serious alcohol and drug abuse well into her adulthood.