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Idol Today Idle Tomorrow: Is It Sensible To Allow Children To Participate In Reality Shows?
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An impeccably decorated stage. Check. An esteemed panel of judges. Check. An ever obliging studio audience. Check. Oh-so-proud parents. Check.
In the middle of this, you find a body-hugging, cleavage baring number covering the lesser part of a female torso, as she gyrates provocatively while emoting with the perfect blend of oomph and appeal through her heavily made up, kohl lined eyes.
Now, now before you call me conservative or narrow minded I must clarify that those in question are not adults or young adults, who definitely have the right to choose or decide what to wear or simply what to do. I have been solely referring to children or rather toddlers, as young as six or seven, who emulate and imitate adults in every other reality show of the day. When a child sings an item song or dances to a raunchy dance number with such perfection, then she has to go through the entire ordeal of understanding the song and emoting accordingly, which is undoubtedly not a desirable thing for any child to learn at such a tender age.
The worst part is that they are often reprimanded and rebuked by the esteemed panel of judges if they do not match up to the show’s standards and this has a devastating effect on these young minds. A very tragic example is Shinjini Sengupta, one such dance reality participant who never quite recovered from the shock of being chided publicly. She went into depression and lost her speech as a result of the extreme pressure that she had to face.
In most other cases the problems start brewing after the end of the show, when the child is no longer in the limelight. He becomes so used to being a ‘celebrity’Â status, that it’s difficult to settle back into normal day to day life and obtain a proper education or interact with one’s peers. They are often friendless and lonely and it never really does any good to their talent if they simply perform on stage shows instead of honing their craft and talent. The ones who do focus enough to practice regularly miss out on their education which creates a major void in their lives because without basic education it’s difficult to progress in today’s world.
One understands that every talented individual needs an exposure and a reality show definitely provides the perfect platform to showcase your talent. But despite that, is it still sensible or judicious to allow children to participate and chase this short lived period of fame and success?
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Anurag Singh
Is It the case with every children participating in reality shows ?? I don’t think so. And what raunchy numbers you are talking about is completely a part of training to achieve their inveteracy. I agree that puts a lot of pressure on their delicate ,yet sophisticated minds….but then, my friend , they need to brace up for the unforeseen challenges awaiting when they will clear their adolescence. So, its not only about ‘short-lived’ fame. They have to hone their skills and premature their mind to tackle any competition.Although it’s a big task on little shoulder…. but opportunities comes likes this way only,.You just can’t wait for getting matured enough to handle its side-effects. The onus is on parents who want their children to take a giant leap in their career much before the acceptable time.
Uday Kant Naik
Really liked the subject of your article. I have been discussing the same things with my parents a few weeks back. I agree to you that kind of lost their innocence in order to achieve fame. I remembered Channing Tatum say that “I do believe that whatever age you become famous, you end up staying that age”.