Should kids work in movies or TV?

I mean isn't it child labour as well. Why should the movie and TV industry get a privilege? We know that entertainment industry has high chances of kids getting exploited and harassed. There are examples as well. Shouldn't the kids enjoy their childhood instead of being money making machines for their parents?

Completely agree. Good topic.

Yes, the kids can do a film or two, and they can treat it like a vacation.

But those parents who make an entire career out of their kids' childhood are totally exploiting them and using them as cash cows. That's just wrong.

There needs to be more regulation around this.

This, and pimping young girls to become actresses. Some of them are in their early teens and are already being groomed to look much older. Hansika Motwani was a prime example of this. She was this cute little kid on TV/movies and in two years, she suddenly transformed into this bombshell. She was apprently made to take injections to look more like a grown woman. It's totally sick.

If we count singing and dancing reality shows as work, which we should, so many kids work in TV. I would classify even this as borderline exploitation since their talent is being commercialized from a very young age. And I agree with ponymo ^, doing a movie or two is fine but pulling 8+ hours on set for multiple years can’t be good for a child’s development.

I'm kinda 50/50 on this one. As much as I agree that children shouldn't be subjected to labour, how do you expect them to portray child character's? I mean, films are a form of art that reflect our world (with exaggerations). We can't just pretend that kids don't exist on the planet. For example, what would a Bajrangi Bhaijaan be without Munni?

Child oriented films don't seem to come out too often. I obviously don't agree with parents depriving their children of education and making them be bread winner of the family. Ex. Sridevi, Nargis, etc. But occational stuff should be okay with strict laws and protocols intact. I know that in Hollywood, according to child labour laws, child artists can only shoot for a certain number of hours in a day and only a certain number of days in a month. What I am totally AGAINST is reality shows or child talent hunts.

Originally posted by: ponymo

Completely agree. Good topic.

Yes, the kids can do a film or two, and they can treat it like a vacation.

But those parents who make an entire career out of their kids' childhood are totally exploiting them and using them as cash cows. That's just wrong.

There needs to be more regulation around this.

This, and pimping young girls to become actresses. Some of them are in their early teens and are already being groomed to look much older. Hansika Motwani was a prime example of this. She was this cute little kid on TV/movies and in two years, she suddenly transformed into this bombshell. She was apprently made to take injections to look more like a grown woman. It's totally sick.

Shooting is not a vacation. Its boring with all the retakes, and director pressuring the kids to give a good performance.

Originally posted by: Heisenberg23

If we count singing and dancing reality shows as work, which we should, so many kids work in TV. I would classify even this as borderline exploitation since their talent is being commercialized from a very young age. And I agree with ponymo ^, doing a movie or two is fine but pulling 8+ hours on set for multiple years can’t be good for a child’s development.

Singing and dancing reality shows are the worst. Those kids should be in school completing their studies, but they stay away from home for months.

Originally posted by: Cookies..

I'm kinda 50/50 on this one. As much as I agree that children shouldn't be subjected to labour, how do you expect them to portray child character's? I mean, films are a form of art that reflect our world (with exaggerations). We can't just pretend that kids don't exist on the planet. For example, what would a Bajrangi Bhaijaan be without Munni?

Child oriented films don't seem to come out too often. I obviously don't agree with parents depriving their children of education and making them be bread winner of the family. Ex. Sridevi, Nargis, etc. But occational stuff should be okay with strict laws and protocols intact. I know that in Hollywood, according to child labour laws, child artists can only shoot for a certain number of hours in a day and only a certain number of days in a month. What I am totally AGAINST is reality shows or child talent hunts.

So is art and movies more important than a child's development and education? Yes, we can make movies without kids. There are many as well.

then who will play kid's role. VFX/animation se kaam chalana padega kya?😆

btw there are some rules & regulations for child artists in child labour act.

India: Child Actors And Child Labour LawsLast Updated: 26 July 2017

Article by Lucy Rana and Rupin ChopraS.S. Rana & Co. Advocates

India ratified two more ILO Conventions in June 2017 after the Central Government had introduced amendments to the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 ("Act") in August 2016. The government has also introduced the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Rules, 2017 ("Rules") ahead of ratifying the 2 of ILOs conventions in June 2017.

It is significant to note that the Rules make special provisions for the inclusion of child actors in any type of audio-visual entertainment, be it films, short films, T.V Serials, Reality Shows, etc. This area of the glitterati needed to be regulated since a long time. In 2010-11 the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) released detailed guidelines discussing the problems and challenges faced by child actors in reality shows, T.V. Serials etc. It stated that "Participating in an adult-oriented industry, children are often exposed to unsuitable, anxiety inducing, and at times, dangerous operational hazards and situations. Many of these problems may be inherent and generic to the industry, but children, unlike their adult counterparts, should not be expected to handle the emotional and physical stress. It needs to be remembered that, by and large, children do not join the industry of their own volition. There is always an adult involved – a parent, or caretaker – who takes the decision for them. In the absence of any monitoring mechanism, there is every likelihood of child actors being exploited when it comes to the number of hours worked per day, and short-changed in terms of educational and safety provisions." Guidelines for defining age-related norms for the participation of children in tv/reality shows; ensuring the physical conditions and safety of children; setting up of regulatory and monitoring mechanisms; and ensuring education of child participants were recommended by NCPCR.

There have been many instances in the film industry, where directors, producers and some actors are becoming more and more aware about the 'glittered but exploited lives' of child actors. Sensitizing people about the need to prohibit child actors in reality ("scripted reality") shows, director Sujit Sircar, recently tweeted that there is an urgent need to ban child actors from reality shows. He said that "it's actually destroying them emotionally & their purity."

We bring to our readers, the important compliances to be adhered to by producers before employing child artists in audio-visual entertainment programs, from the amended Act of 2016 and the Rules:

1. Prohibition of employment of children in any occupation and process: According to Section 3 of the amended Act, Children, i.e., persons under the age of 14 years, will now be prohibited from working in any occupations. However, to align it with the social situation in the nation, where children also contribute significantly to the family income by being a part of family businesses, the section exempts those helping their family or family enterprise, other than any hazardous occupations or processes set forth in the Schedule, after his school hours or during vacation, from the purview of the Act.

2. Conditions for children working for media entertainment: Section 3 also exempts children working as artists in an audio-visual entertainment industry, including advertisement, films, television serials or any such other entertainment or sports activities except the circus from the purview of the prohibition if the prescribed safety measures, have been complied with.

According to the Rules certain conditions are to be complied with by the Producer. The producer shall:

1. obtain permission from the District Magistrate and shall furnish an undertaking in Form C of the Rules to the District Magistrate before beginning any activities in the district;
2. provide the list of child participants, consent of parents or guardian, name of the individual from the production or event who shall be responsible for the safety and security of the child;
3. ensure that all screening of his films and television programs shall be made with a disclaimer specifying that if any child has been engaged in the shooting, then, all the measures were taken to ensure that there has been no abuse, neglect or exploitation of such child during the entire process of the shooting;
4. arrange appropriate facilities for education of the child to ensure that there is no discontinuity from his lessons in school;
5. not allow children to work consecutively for more than twenty-seven days; and
6. appoint one responsible person for maximum of five children for the production or event, so as to ensure the protection, care and best interest of the child

In the west, the famous case of Jackie Coogan paved way for California's Child Actor laws which later came to be known as Coogan Laws. Jackie's parents had spent all his earnings as a famous child actor. Even Gary Coleman, on becoming an adult realized that all his child-actor-earnings were misappropriated by his agent and parents. There needs to be a well-regulated check upon the use of the child's earnings as an artist.

Now, according to the new Rules, at least 21% of the income earned by the child from the production or event should be directly deposited in a fixed deposit account in a nationalized bank in the name of the child which may be credited to the child on attaining majority; and no child shall be made to participate in any audio visual and sports activity including informal entertainment activity against his will and consent.

Conclusion:

It is no secret that reality shows and T.V. serials in which children are made to participate expose them not only to work pressure but also to enormous publicity which the children are not mentally or emotionally equipped to handle. It not only deprives them of a normal childhood but burdens them to work and finish schooling at the same time. Psychologists have reiterated numerous times that both exposure to limelight and then eventual deprivation of such attention can have a serious impact on young and tender minds. It is promising to note that the industry is being aware and sensitive to the issue of child artists being exploited. What remains to be seen is how far and seriously the provisions under these rules are executed and how seriously punishments on defaulters are implemented.

Another important critique that we note is that the prohibition of employing children as enumerated under Section 3 of the Act, are relaxed for child artists, however, children employed in the circus are not subject to this relaxation. We ponder: how are the current reality shows where 5-year-old toddlers share marital jokes (the meaning of which we doubt they understand) different from circuses...

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

http://www.mondaq.com/india/x/614290/Media+Entertainment+Law/Child+Actors+And+Child+Labour+Laws

In limitations. There should be rules about how many hours a day n how many films a year a kid can shoot. There should be strict checkup of the atmosphere of the studios. Exploitation Should be avoided anyhow.

That said, parents who push their kids into all this n make them the family's sole breadearner, Should be punished

Parents these days are much better than those in the past. Sridevi used to do 3 shifts a day (around 14-16 hrs) from the time she was 5 yr old doing more than 25 films a year (Tamil & Telugu combined) . She never went to school.