The Ethics of “Child Stars”
by Haley Hart
February 5, 2025
The life of a child actor in Hollywood’s light might seem highly glamorous and ideal to the average person. Honestly, let’s be real?! These children get to be nationally recognized and adored and make millions while doing it. It seems too good to be true; it seems perfect. However, the raw and real truth behind many child stars and their upbringings are in fact much darker and unimaginable than one might presume.
In 2024, the docuseries “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” hit several streaming services and sent a shockwave across the nation as it exposed the abusive nature of media company, Nickelodeon, at the hands of producer Dan Schnieder. The docu series featured interviews from many former Nickelodeon child actors, such as Drake Bell and Alexa Nikolas, sharing their horrific tales of sexual and emotional abuse perpetrated by adults in their work environments. “Quiet On Set” opened a long overdue conversation about the way in which child performers are treated, as well as debate regarding if there should even be children in the entertainment industry.
Early Tales of Child Star Abuse
The “first ever” child stars are widely recognized as Jack Coogan, Elsie Leslie, Shirley Temple, and Diana Cary, or “Baby Peggy,” all of which faced abuse during their time as child stars. Temple, for one, came out in adulthood to share that she had been horrifically sexually harassed by a producer, who went unnamed, when she was just 12 years old, as well as physically and psychologically tormented during her time on sets, being forced to participate in sadistic punishments. However, during the silent film era, there was never any conversation regarding the treatment of child stars. In fact, the conversation wasn’t even a thought until recent times.
Effects of Child Stardom
According to journalist Carly Pearce, who wrote an expo-piece on child stardom in 2021, prior to the release of “Quiet on Set,” for Epigram, “Celebrity culture is in itself a bizarre concept – we (the audience) separate ourselves from a select few human beings who are no different from us, usually because they possess some sort of talent that deems them superior..”
Pierce also pointed out the misconception widely held with child stars, saying, “While the fame and fortune that comes along with being a celebrity seems glamorous (and probably is on occasion) it’s extremely taxing for a child who suddenly has to give up their childhood to work full-time hours, sometimes to support their families, and deal with the pressures of maintaining an image in front of millions of fans.”
When viewing the aftermath and effects of child stardom, many also speak on 80’s and 90’s stars, like Brooke Shields,ho rose to fame before hitting even her early teens. When Shields was experiencing the peak of her popularity, she was regarded as a sex symbol, even as a teen and young child, posing for Playboy at just 10 years old. Through a modern lens, many have called out this inappropriate and horrific behavior in which Shields fell victim to in her youth. However, Shields in recent times has repeatedly emphasized she herself doesn’t identify as a victim or necessarily align herself with such a word, sharing with The Guardian, “I was a virgin till I was 22, so it was all pretend in my mind. I was an actress. I didn’t suffer privately about it,” and adding, “There’s something incredibly seductive about youth … I think it just has different forms and it’s how you survive it, and whether you choose to be victimised by it. It’s not in my nature to be a victim.”
Drew Barrymore, on the other hand, an 80’s and 90’s child star, and now actress and businesswoman, has come forward many a time to recall how, due to the unsafe Hollywood environment she was placed in as a child, she began to experiment with alcohol and drugs at a very early age, which made her vulnerable to all types of horrific abuse. Barrymore shared with The Guardian when recalling her youth in the spotlight saying, “When I was 13, that was probably the lowest. Just knowing that I really was alone. And it felt… terrible. It was a really rebellious time. I would run off. I was very, very angry."
Barrymore, as well as many other child stars of the 90’s, including Macaulay Culkin, Alex Winter, and Corey Feldman, all have, in recent years, come out with tales of the mistreatment they faced in their youth. These stories and documentary exposés alike, have further pushed for conversation about the morality of children in an environment not built for their safety.
Sources: The Guardian, Vanity Fair
