We all know the cute little blonde kid that appears on television every year at Christmas time setting boobie traps for the bad guys trying to rob his house while his family is away on vacation. Macaulay Culkin was 10 years old when he starred as Kevin McCallister in the first Home Alone movie. Since then he has struggled heavily with substance abuse and marital issues like many other child entertainers who have grown up in the spotlight. The entertainment industry has a negative effect on the lives of child actors, musicians, and athletes.
Child entertainers often struggle from the effects of delayed social development. Children in the spotlight miss out on normal childhood activities such as school holiday parties, field trips, and dances
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Countless numbers of famous children have battled with anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues as a result of living the “good” life of being a celebrity. For many of them this is due to constant public scrutiny. They are growing up and living their lives in the spotlight. Trying to live a mistake free life and keep up a good image can put a lot of pressure on anyone let alone a child. These children also have to deal with a lot of rejection and judgement when it comes to auditions for jobs and even the general public (Horrel, 2011.) Often times the personality, appearance, and very identity of a child is stripped and manipulated by the people above them in the industry in order to appeal to the public and bring in as much money as possible. These children usually are given no say in what they do daily or who they are. This has a great effect on children, because during their earlier years normal kids are often discovering who they are as a person and where they fit into the world. Forcing these young stars to transform into someone they are not just for financial gain can have negative effects on the way that the child views themselves throughout the rest of their life. They may feel that their authentic self is not accepted or not good enough. Not being allowed to express themselves in their own way can cause confusion and distress at an early age. Young celebrities also often have little to no time for friends or fun childhood activities because of their demanding schedule and adult responsibilities. These children often feel alone and separated from the rest of society and live in a form of chaos. It is understandable why we hear about so many child entertainers going off the deep end and often even making suicide attempts or turning to dangerous coping mechanisms (Fox,