Child stars: Entertainment or exploitation?
Child stars: Entertainment or exploitation?
By Yogita Tahil Ramani
JAKARTA (JP): Clad in a colorful outfit, the boy swayed his
little body and burst into song. His voice was far from
beautiful, but it did not matter. Several other children joined
him and danced vigorously to the music.
Everybody looked happy. The children were joyful and their
parents were proud.
So, what's the problem with child entertainers?
Senior psychologist at the University of Indonesia's School of
Psychology Fauzia Aswin Hadis warns exploitation behind the
growing phenomenon of commercialization of children in
entertainment.
She said there was a fine line between honing a child's
talents and exploiting them for commercial gains.
There are several warning factors, she said.
"If the children lose all freedom to do the things every
normal child should do and the developing process evades them,
that is exploitation.
"If a child is doing something on a rigorous, regular basis
only for the sake of his or her parents, it is exploitation."
The development process of a child included completing his or
her education. Therefore the child's studies should not be
affected, Fauzia said.
"The child should be able to take up activities of his own
free will outside of music or dance lessons."
Fauzia said abuse of child artists could lead to two primary,
disastrous effects. First, self-concept.
"Due to constant evaluation from parents, the children lose
their own judgment of whether they are good artists or not. This
in itself is bad."
She explained that all the adoration and money from selling
thousands of cassettes could lead to the children living in a
delusional world.
"It is the duty of parents to make sure that the children's
feet are still on earth," Fauzia said.
"The children should not equate how easy life is for them to
real life. We all know, real life is very difficult. Delusions
are always bad... they could lead to insanity."
"Once the children are no more 'the best', they might not be
able to face real life."
She added that children of parents belonging to both the
lower- and the middle-income brackets were forced into the
business because parents felt that they had nothing to lose.
Fortune
"Even if the child sings awfully ... you can see the recent
ones on TV, some of them cannot sing at all. But, their parents
will keep on forcing them because they feel that outside of
education, this is a way of striking gold."
"... by now God alone knows how many of them (children) have
suffered in the hands of parents, music promoters and other
fortune hunters calling themselves agents and managers."
Another psychologist of the University of Indonesia's School
of Psychology Niniek L. Karim said it was child exploitation when
child entertainers were not able to do the things every growing
child should do.
"The children should be able to play with toys, grow up with
friends and complete their education the normal way."
Writer Arswendo Atmowiloto, who had published several
children's books, said that the problem lay in parents not being
able to understand a child's world.
"Most parents do not understand the child's world ... they
cram their child's schedule with all sorts of activities. The
question is, do children have the will to learn the skill or
not?" said Arswendo, who is also former editor of the Fantasi
children's tabloid,
Fauzia said there too lay a dilemma.
"No parent will say that they are abusing their children. Upon
opting to learn the piano seriously, for instance, the children
could say that they feel exploited after long hours of practice."
"Therefore, one cannot immediately say that a child is being
exploited without thorough study," she said.
Adi Bing Slamet, one of the most famous child artists of the
1970s, was reportedly exploited as a child. But he told The
Jakarta Post: "I never felt exploited ... I lived a good life."