While it can be very entertaining to watch young men and women who believe they are invincible and go up against the beast that is reality television, not all shows consist of the typical 18-24 year olds. Some shows look to participants who have even less of a filter than the arrogant college student. They look to children to be unpredictable, create humor, and become an American icon. Sometimes it is their innocence that can be the most entertaining part of the show. But, what are the impacts of putting a child on a reality television show? Arguably, some adults do not even know what they are getting themselves into when they decide to become a reality star. A child is in a very different situation because not only do they not know what they are getting themselves into, but they are also unable to give consent to the show. They are still under the control of their parent’s decisions. When thinking about the significance of reality television on young children, I immediately think about Jon and Kate plus 8. The show played on TLC and explored the life of young parents Jon and Kate who already had twins and were about to become the parents of sextuplets. Why is this the first show that comes to mind? Well the sextuplets made their reality television star debut evan before they were born. Even before they had taken their first breath, the world already knew they were coming and knew all of their names. As the show progressed and the marriage of Jon and Kate fell apart right in front of millions of people, the eight kids had to see it play out in person and then relive it as it continuously aired on television. The children are essentially being exploited at the hands of their parents and the opinions of those around them. Navigating the ups and downs of growing up is hard enough, but having the rest of the world know what goes on in your home as a child could lead to serious problems.

Although to the average viewer it is hard to picture the life of a reality as the life someone actually lives, the children on these shows still do continue to go to school and live a semi-normal life just like every other kid is required to do in the United States. It does set these kids apart because not every child is portrayed the same way they are. This could lead to bullying and harassment at school. For more reasons than one – jealously, misunderstanding, judging, other kids can not fully comprehend what it is like to have your life aired on television. It creates a second world for the child stars, where their life is portrayed one way on television, and experienced a different way in their everyday life. Additionally, with two different worlds, comes two different levels of scrutiny. They get the immediate scrutiny of their peers at school and where they live, and they they get scrutiny from people they do not know and will never know. These people could live in another county, state, country, or continent. The show allows these people to feel as if they know the children on a personal level and share their personal thoughts. More often than not, this impact on the children is incredibly negative and could influence them for years to come.

Work Cited

Harris, Lew. “The Consequences of Children on Reality TV.” The Wrap. The Wrap News, 13 July 2009. Web. 10 Apr. 2016. <https://www.thewrap.com/consequences-children-reality-tv-4288/&gt;.