Is the Entertainment Industry Guilty of Child Abuse?

İfeoluwa Siddiq Oyelami

In September, when Netflix released a controversial movie called Cuties, there was a global uproar and call for “cancelling” of Netflix. Cuties which supposedly encourages paedophilia was severely criticized and banned by some governments. However, some film-critics have tried to defend the award-winning movie claiming that it only reflects and that “description is not necessarily approval.”

Even though these positive criticisms may exonerate Cuties and its producers in the view of performing arts and theatre, undoubtedly, they are unfounded defence in the book of morals. Such cannot exonerate a film that abuses children and commodifies the girlchild. Consequently, this event raises questions such as "what is the role of children in the performing arts?” “what should their roles be?”

Several studies have shown that people who spent their childhood on the stage are prone to encountering various problems in the latter part of their lives. For instance, in 2019, British newspaper The Sun published the stories of some of the former child artists in an article named "Disney Curses". The article showed that most of the ex-child artists grew up to face addictions related problems, hypersexuality, suicide, and a number of them have been convicted for one crime or the other.

These unfortunate events happened to the one time energetic and cheerful children and teens, who spent their childhood entertaining others in return for cash that is most often squandered by parents and agents. What a stolen childhood!

These horrors that many child artists sadly encounter, leads one to question the legality of their inclusion in the entertainment workforce?

Many will say children are in the industry to fill in the child roles. However, it seems most child artists are engaging in everything except these roles. Say, should children who work as musicians, DJs, dancers, etc. only to entertain others, be classified as artists playing child role?

Two weeks ago, Nigerian Premiumtimes news outlet interviewed a 6-year-old girl named Eze Chikamso, who supposedly is Africa's youngest DJ. The toddler entertainer became famous on social media the previous year and has since performed at various parties. This is so astonishing because if exposing a young child of her age to partying is in itself distasteful, how about making her “jock the disc” for adults to dance? It is sickening to depict this as talent building as this can only be child abuse and childhood robbery.

Let’s take a look at the story of Desmond is Amazing, a so-called American "drag star" that first surfaced in the news in 2017. At the age of 11, with his mum’s encouragement, he took up dragging (an entertainment in which performers dressed as members of the opposite). His mum had claimed her son is homosexual and she decided to nurture him in that path. Surprisingly, the boy rose to fame and became the face of some LGBT marches in the US. He also, at a pre-teenage started performing at gay clubs to the desires of adults. Interestingly, Desmont has appeared on some TV shows including the popular "Good Morning America" programme broadcasted by ABC News.

These are but few among the numerous examples. Interestingly, the populace is too busy to debate the fate of these children and adolescents battling the detriments of “stardom” even when in recent years, child labour has become an increasingly sensitive issue around the world. But then, all attentions are only directed towards children who serve as apprentices and errand boys on the fields and streets. Very little attention has been given to the thousands of “rich kids” working in the entertainment industry.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in its definition of child labour, states that child labour negatively affects the mental, social, physical and psychological development of children. In the view of this, local and international institutions have always tried to address the situation in the same framework. However, it seems that while society criticizes low-income child workers, it does not sufficiently question high-income child workers in the entertainment industry. Whereas, it appears that children working in this sector are more  psychologically affected than those doing heavy jobs.

In light of all these, to raise a healthy generation, as a matter of urgency, it is important to address the systematic child abuse going on in the entertainment sector. Children should not be exposed to an industry that makes them grow amidst feelings of rejection, jealousy, hypersexuality, obsessive thoughts and behaviours. Children should not, for some people’s gain and interests, grow up engaging in activities which consequence is beyond their comprehension. Therefore, as a society, we must rethink the issue, lest our children fall victims to a system that plays on their naivety, lead them in the wrong way and destroy their future. Hopefully, some governments will stand against this soon.