Child Stars: Is fame healthy for children?

[Djamila]

Sanja, Press Photo, 2005 - Sanja, Private Family Photo, 2007

Sanja Tunjic was just 17 when she was crowned Miss Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2005, making her the youngest winner in 112 years.

The pretty girl from a small village near Lukavac became a celebrity overnight, carried away from her home by fame. And then, in an instant, it was gone.

12 months later, Azra Gazdic took her crown and Sanja Tunjic disappeared from public life. Her career today is limited to a few anonymous modelling campaigns and a public appearance every time a new supermarket opens in some Godforsaken village in the middle of nowhere.

She's just one of the countless children around the world who become famous and then, when they grow up, are completely outcasted by the public that adored them when they were younger.

So, what do you think about raising children up to the level of child stars? Is it healthy for them, regardless of whether or not they manage to build a lasting, public career? Do you think children want to be famous, or is something forced on them by their parents?

Is there some responsibility on the part of the public to be supportive of child stars as they grow up?

[evearael]

I do not believe that a parent should coerce their child into stardom. If a child is honestly driven to pursue theater, modeling, and so on, then that desire should be balanced against what is healthy for the individual child.

[Djamila]

Originally Posted by evearael

I do not believe that a parent should coerce their child into stardom. If a child is honestly driven to pursue theater, modeling, and so on, then that desire should be balanced against what is healthy for the individual child.

I don't think parents should force their children into such things either - and children may appear to want it but they're often naive about what it really means.

Do you think it's dangerous enough that parents have some responsibility to prevent their children entering such professions at an early age? Or is that just as bad on the other end of the spectrum?

[evearael]

Do you think it's dangerous enough that parents have some responsibility to prevent their children entering such professions at an early age? Or is that just as bad on the other end of the spectrum?

For my own daughter, I want her to have a childhood. I would try to encourage her to pursue classes and productions appropriate for her age group, if she expressed an interest. I don't see any problem with her performing in a theater production for fun with her peer group. I would do my best to delay any attempts to become a star until she was older and more capable of handling everything that comes with it. I would encourage her to look at her dreams from a variety of angles and learn a variety of skills surrounding her desired craft. I would also want to make sure that she had a good grasp of the legal side of whatever she pursued so she wouldn't be taken advantage of easily. I do think that every child is unique and that some would be able to handle it sooner than others, but to let a child enter into that world too early and/or enter it without appropriate supervision and guidance could have tragic consequences for them.

[ChristineES]

I never believed that children should be stars unless that ask it themselves, and I am even leery about that since children don't always know what is best for them.

[GeneCosta]

Fame is dangerous for anyone. Washington and Hollywood have the largest population of fat-heads in the world.