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."