Why Children Should Be Allowed To Participate In Reality TV

Reality TV is nothing new in today’s age of television and has been around since the early 70s. According to the Oxford Dictionary of English (2010), reality TV is defined as a television program that involves ordinary individuals being filmed continuously for entertainment purposes. Participants of reality TV shows involve a wide demographic which includes children. So, let's research this theme in more detail in "Why Children Should Be Allowed To Participate In Reality TV Essay".

One of the examples of reality TV shows with children as participants include MasterChef Junior. Reality TV shows have a reputation for having negative effects on its participants. There have been reports of cases involving the deaths of reality tv show participants such as two former participants of ‘Love Island’ who took their own lives. It is because of this reason however, that some parents aren’t too keen on letting their children participate in reality TV shows. Despite the negative effects of reality TV shows on its participants, it has indeed resulted in the success of many celebrities such as Emma Stone, who started off her career by starring in a reality show competition series called “In Search of the Partridge Family”. That being said, children should be allowed to participate in reality TV shows. Although reality TV shows can cause immense stress among children as participants, children should be allowed to participate in reality TV shows because they will have a chance to learn various life skills and improve their confidence and speaking skills.

Firstly, children should be allowed to participate in reality TV shows because they will be able to learn various life skills. For example, they can learn about responsibility when participating in a reality TV show because they have to follow their work schedule on a daily basis. Children would have to be responsible for being on time according to their work schedule. Other than that, children who participate in reality TV shows will learn to be hardworking and adaptable because other than their career, they will also have to focus on their studies. Hence, they would have to adapt to their hectic work schedule as well as slot in time for their studies and work hard to balance their work life and school life. Children who participate in reality TV shows will also be able to learn how to handle difficult situations. For example, participating in reality TV shows can help children to face rejection from judges. Facing rejection can be a hard thing to deal with, especially for children at a young age because they tend to be highly emotional and may experience a mental breakdown if they are unable to control their emotions. However, having faced rejection at a young age, children are able to experience failure and learn to persevere through difficult situations. These various life skills will prove useful to children in the future as they would have acquired these skills at a young age and will be able to make use of these skills as they progress in life.

Furthermore, children should participate in reality TV shows because they can improve their confidence and speaking skills. Reality TV shows are a good way to expose children to public speaking at a young age as children who participate in reality TV shows will have the opportunity to experience speaking in front of an audience at a young age. For instance, children who participate in competitive reality shows such as America’s Got Talent will have to perform on a stage in front of an audience which will train them to overcome stage fright and become more confident. Reality TV shows are also a good way to instill confidence in children because it provides a platform for children who are willing to perform to showcase their talent. The show ‘Little Big Shots’ is an example of a reality TV show that features children demonstrating their talent. One example would be how Little Big Shots helped one of its contestants, a girl with autism named Kaylee Rogers, find her confidence through singing. The opportunity for children to improve themselves will help to reduce their work pressure in the long run as they would have faced these obstacles at a young age.

Critics argue that children should not be allowed to participate in reality TV shows because of the immense stress it has on child participants. Children who participate in reality TV shows will undergo mental pressure which could lead them into depression. One example would be Maddie Ziegler from ‘Dance Moms’ who experienced so much mental pressure so that she ended up leaving the show. However, this argument is irrelevant because children will still undergo mental pressure despite not participating in reality TV shows. According to Data and statistics on children’s mental health (2019), approximately 1.9 million children aged 3-17 in the U.S. are diagnosed with depression. This shows that reality TV shows do not solely affect children’s mental pressure and that children will still undergo mental pressure regardless of whether they participate in reality TV shows. Child participants will experience stress however, this should not affect their participation in reality TV shows as it is inevitable with or without their participation in reality TV shows.

In conclusion, children should be allowed to participate in reality TV shows because they can learn valuable life skills and are able to improve themselves. Immense stress caused by reality TV shows on children is inevitable. However, it cannot determine the participation of children in reality TV shows as it can happen with or without the participation of children in reality TV shows. Children who are not allowed to participate in reality TV shows because of their parents would miss out on the chance to gain experience that could help boost their career in the entertainment industry. Hence, parents should consider having an open mind and allowing their children to participate in reality TV shows so that they will not prevent their children from having a brighter future.