photo credit: Sophie Rogers
A child’s favorite part of the weekend: they jump out of bed and run downstairs to watch their favorite Disney shows on the television. They don’t have a care in the world, especially about how much the stars they are watching have to give up, just to be in the entertainment world as a child Disney employee.
From young ages, many child actors are pressured to leave their childhood behind and be responsible young adults early on while being judged by thousands to millions of fans. This pressure is not good for their growth and development, and Disney has many child actors who they have helped bring to fame. Yet, the company should do more to support the actors after their Disney careers end.
Control is a hard concept to comprehend at a young age. The fact that these Disney shows could be discontinued at any time or a child could be fired is hard to stomach when working at such a young age. The shows can also make child actors look a certain way, and the audience only sees them as the character being played.
When Disney stars retire or their show gets discontinued, they suddenly enter a new world in their careers. For so long they have been in the spotlight, and all they have known is acting and working for Disney.
Many people who have worked for Disney haven’t moved on with their careers and the stress being a child actor brought them. Instead, they have this idea that has been drilled in them by the pampering; they deserve special privileges.
David Hernie, who was on “Wizards of Waverly Place”, was arrested due to carrying a gun at the Los Angeles Airport and was then sentenced to two years of probation, according to J-14.
All his teenage years were spent acting and being a child actor, and this fantasy world created a divide from him and society. Actors are viewed like they are better than the regular person while people put them on a stage and immerse themselves into their lives.
Fans involve themselves so deeply in the lives of child actors, especially, children and parents. From a very young age, child actors, especially on Disney, are being watched every second and put on a spotlight in many people’s eyes.
The human brain is continuously developing until the mid to late 20s, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Hernie was brought up with the idea that he was better than his fans and could get away with more things than others.
Fame can get to the minds of child actors especially when that’s all they know. They can think that they deserve special treatment because of the attention they get. It can also ruin their childhoods.
Child actors often have a harder time completing daily tasks that such as scheduling, doing laundry and cooking meals. Since, they are pampered and overprotected from a young age the focus of what they learn is not these skills, according to Psychology Today.
Instead of going to school with peers, going to the mall, hanging out with friends or even going outside, they are working from a young age to perform for people. This takes away from the playful aspects of having a childhood.
Drugs, alcohol and sex and are often exposed to child actors at very young age. This tendency increases their risk of becoming drug, alcohol or sex abusers and or emotionally unstable, according to Phycology Today.
Although Disney tries to filter this out of the shows they produce, child actors are working with adults and some adults who grew up in the same industry. They don’t know that it’s not right for children to be exposed to it because they were exposed to drugs, alcohol and sex.
Some child actors can’t take the pressure, so they completely leave the industry and change their career path.
Debbie Berwick, who was in “Phil of the Future”, has completely left the public spotlight and studied zoology instead at the University of Los Angeles. She did stay with Disney and is now an animal keeper at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, according to J-14.
Child actors’ lives are portrayed to millions of people, and they all handle the stress differently. The feeling of not being able to control certain aspects of their life can cause child actors to resent the industry and even think that they deserve special treatment. Disney should be taking steps to help combat this by giving child actors places to go after they leave the industry.
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