Should Children/Families Be on Reality TV?

[Grand Koalafornian]

I think it can be a huge financial bonus in situations where it is a one-time thing. I think that full-schedule video series are by their nature exploitative, but I'm not sure about one-time "specials" or occasional short news features, as long as any money that is earned from the production company goes directly into trust for the children.

The one that I think of as being handled fairly well was the ABC ongoing check-ins with the McCaughey family. They would do a 15 minute segment on milestone occasions every few years, but that was it. The family got a lot of financial help due to the exposure of being featured on television, such as a donated home, college scholarships, medical attention from big-city specialists, etc. I thought they struck a decent balance between guarding their kids' interests and taking careful advantage of public curiousity about their situations to be able to provide some advantages that they otherwise could not afford.

Yes, I think occasional specials are okay. Very different from constant tv exposure.

As for the financial thing, if the kids get the money, then yes it can be good. But as far as I can tell, the parents are usually paid, not the kids. I know Jill Dillard had a falling out with her father over money, which would indicate that he kept it all.

 

[kanerf]

Please, no more reality tv. It is not reality, usually very scripted and very bad acting.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Just wondering....Do reality kids have the same laws of protection as TV kids for example the stars of Young Sheldon?

I am sure they would

 

[nicolita3]

I am sure they would

They are not

https://www.abusewatch.net/CAN_Pos.php#:~:text=If children are to be,by California and New York.

 

[nicolita3]

Kids in reality TV pretty much have no protection like Hollywood children actors do. In Hollywood they can only work x amount of hours, reality kids do not have to follow this. Also the money goes to the parents, if they want money saved for the kids they have to do it themselves.

 

[tcufrog]

Child movie and TV stars have a lot more protections than child reality stars and it still messes up a lot of them. I had people encouraging me to sign one of my kids for modelling and I didn't for that reason.

 

[NotUrsula]

[snip]
I doubt the income and school rules and regulations differ for reality shows as opposed to other shows. I mean what would be the basis for the difference?

California Labor Laws, I think, and definitely SAG rules.

I don't know what that would mean to reality shows that are filmed in California, but if the argument is that the kids are not actually working for pay, I could see that being a loophole.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

No, when my son was 8 or 9 years old, he was offered the chance to feature in a reality documentary about life as a Cathedral Chorister; basically following the boys as they went about their days and nights, boarding school life, prepared for services etc. I was adamant that he should not feature and threatened to remove him from school for the duration of the filming. It seemed like such an invasion of his privacy and of course, whatever is recorded is there for ever. I had no problem with him being filmed whilst singing, during Services or concerts where the environment was controlled and he was occasionally filmed immediately before/after services but not more than that.

 

[Cheburashka]

No, no and no. Parents exploiting their kids takes many forms, and reality TV / public YouTube videos is one of them.

 

[Cheburashka]

No, when my son was 8 or 9 years old, he was offered the chance to feature in a reality documentary about life as a Cathedral Chorister; basically following the boys as they went about their days and nights, boarding school life, prepared for services etc. I was adamant that he should not feature and threatened to remove him from school for the duration of the filming. It seemed like such an invasion of his privacy and of course, whatever is recorded is there for ever. I had no problem with him being filmed whilst singing, during Services or concerts where the environment was controlled and he was occasionally filmed immediately before/after services but not more than that.

Creepy that the school would even agree to that.

 

[Turn the Page]

If you offered me a Million a day I wouldn't put my child on reality TV. I can't imagine what is missing in people's lives that makes them want to exploit their own children like many of these shows do.

I don't understand why anyone wants to put themselves out there like that let alone their kids.

Full disclosure, I do occasionally watch a couple podcasts such as the DVC Show, DIS dining show, and a couple of other Disney/travel related podcasts. Not religiously, just if there is a particular review or topic I am interested in.

But those are all on particular topic those people are knowledgeable about. I do not understand the people that start podcasts to provide a platform to air their every brain fart. Or where people post videos of their kids playing with toys. Or coaching them to be obnoxious and putting that online.

Why must people have so much attention all the time?

 

[dvcgirl67]

I would never go on a reality show. If I had kids, I'd never allow them to be on a reality TV show. But...I do watch some of the Bravo shows and have witnessed some highly questionable behavior for sure. But...these shows are cheap to produce and so it's not like we see the end of them anytime soon.

 

[mrs. magoo]

We had friends who were on Nanny 911 when the quads were like 6. They are graduating from college or already employed. My daughter was good friends with 2 of them. They turned out fine but they still are referred to as the nanny 911 kids. Their family is great and so good to the community. They got a vacation out of the show, but it was a one time thing. I will admit I used to watch some of these things but now I watch things like Josh Gates and travel shows.

 

[tcufrog]

I refuse to watch these shows and prefer shows where someone is creating something. I like HGTV but I do wonder if the kids consented to and are paid for their appearances on their parents' shows.

 

[Cheburashka]

I do wonder if the kids consented to and are paid for their appearances on their parents' shows.

Minors can't give free consent. It's the same principle as why they can't give consent for sexual relations with adults. They are less mature, less worldly, less knowledgeable about potential consequences in the future, and they are at a massive power disadvantage from the adults, particularly if those adults are their legal guardians.

So even if a 9 year-old says, "Yes, I'd like to", that is not equitable with an adult giving their free consent. That is why it's the parent's responsibility to shield them from exploitative situations, not lead them into those situations.

 

[ashley0139]

I refuse to watch these shows and prefer shows where someone is creating something. I like HGTV but I do wonder if the kids consented to and are paid for their appearances on their parents' shows.

No. As long as the parents consent the kids don't have to. You'd hope the parents and the production would take their preference into account though. And if they are teens then they can pretty much just refuse to do it anyway. But any minor's release has to be signed by a parent.

 

[_19disnA]

Don't watch any of these 'reality' family shows. I would imagine they are mostly contrived situations to create drama on TV. Imagine having a camera pushed in your face while at home everyday and the producers encouraging everyone to say rude/insensitive things or act a certain way. While channel surfing one time I happened to watch that "Chrisley knows best" show from Georgia. With the over the top acting and self absorbed behavior, I actually thought the show was a spoof on reality shows.............LOL. Involving young children in these types of shows seems like a mistake.

I do wonder how much the families get paid and likely that is their incentive to continue being on these shows.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

Creepy that the school would even agree to that.

You would be surprised how many seemly sane parents want their children to be famous.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

The real question is, should the adults be on reality TV? Most of the time, the children are the best behaved people on the program.

 

[spiders]

I think it largely depends on what the show is about. Too often, it’s just lowest common denominator but you can only blame them halfway because there’s obviously an audience for it. A show that follows a trade is a lot different than a show that sees who can be the lowest class.