No More Child Stars

And definitely no more child social media stars.

Earlier this week, actress Hayden Panetierre was found dead in a South Carolina apartment. She had been in front of the camera since she was just 11 months old, acting in soap operas, Disney shows and movies, and beloved television shows including Heroes and Nashville. She died at 36, leaving behind a young daughter.

Panetierre is one of many, many child stars who have struggled into adulthood, with everything from eating disorders to substance abuse to sexual abuse to rocky relationships. She did not have custody of her daughter; she had been open about her addiction issues; it seems she likely died of a drug overdose. Addiction, abuse, and dysfunction are also struggles faced by plenty of people who were not child stars. And there are of course a number of actors who began as children and seem to have grown into functional adults (Natalie Portman, Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe). But former child stars who turn into functional adults also seem to be the minority of former child stars.

Which should make us question: Why are we making “stars” out of children in the first place?