- TV talent shows may be doing more harm than good
Child stars and child actors are not an unusual or new concept – children have been performing on stage and television for years. However, as of late, reality TV is embracing the trend of televised talent shows and competitions.
There are, of course, the OGs of this genre like the X Factor, The Voice, and Survivor, where people are put to the test on a very public stage and criticised, often harshly, for their performances and skills. In the Sri Lankan sphere, many counterparts to these shows have been conceptualised and executed to provide a local version of these competitions.
Along the way these shows have branched out to spin-off shows – using the same concept but appealing to a different demographic. One major genre has been the creation of these same shows featuring children – regular, everyday kids who may have displayed some level of talent are now made to compete in front of a massive audience, filmed and broadcast for the world to see.
Some examples of shows like this are Dance Moms, The Voice Kids, MasterChef Junior and other similar shows where children are expected to showcase their talents under extreme pressure, filmed and broadcasted for large audiences, with their skills subject to judgement both by the judges and often by the audience.
The growing popularity of such shows begs the question of whether children may potentially suffer lasting consequences as a result of their experiences in these shows? Even as adults, we all experience anxiety and feel great discomfort when it comes to receiving criticism of any nature. To be judged publicly, regardless of how harsh the judgement may be, is a difficult thing to endure.
When it comes to children, who have far fewer lived experiences and have had less opportunity to harden themselves against negativity or learn the ways of acceptance and understanding, it is fair to wonder whether they may suffer some lasting consequences by being exposed in this manner at such a young and impressionable age.
No one-size-fits-all answer
Child and Adolescent and Counselling Psychologist Dr. Kalharie Pitigala shared her thoughts on the matter, noting that whatever the consequences may be, they were dependent on the personality of each individual child.
“Some children exude absolute confidence and because they are so young, they can often even be resistant to criticism and brush it off lightly,” she said, adding: “Particularly in the case of adolescents, when they decide to participate in these types of competitions, it is of their own volition. However, in the case of children, I do think it is a little more nuanced because while the child may be willing it is often the idea of the parents, so we must look at such cases a little more closely.”
She shared that there were two things one must focus on. Firstly, the child’s willingness. “The child may be happy to do it in the beginning, because they do not know any better, but after their first experience they may no longer wish to continue, and parents must be vigilant of that and be careful not to force them beyond what they are comfortable with,” she said. “At any point in their journey if they show fear or great discomfort, it should be taken seriously.”
She noted that children must also be given the correct tools to navigate this new experience. “Children should be given the appropriate training so that they do not go blindly into this new experience,” she said, noting that teachers and parents should take care not to allow for any major or shocking surprises and prepare the child. Further, on such occasions the instructors may even be able to identify if the child is ready to go on stage and perform.
Secondly, she noted that the judges and the evaluators of any particular competition also had a responsibility to deliver their judgement in a careful and appropriate manner. “The judges must keep in mind that they are not dealing with adults and that there is a very different way to give your criticism to children,” she said.
Intent is key
As Dr. Pitigala expressed the importance of preparing the child before they are thrust into a competitive environment, Brunch reached out to Deanna School of Dancing (Colombo) Principal Natasha Jayasuriya for her experiences as an educator with extensive experience working with children, particularly in preparing them for performing on stage.
Jayasuriya noted that first and foremost she believed that performing on stage helped build confidence in children. In her opinion, correct guidance was necessary. “You must have the children’s best interests at heart,” she said, adding: “What is important is that they are not exploited in the process.”
“Building confidence is necessary because this prevents children from falling into peer pressure. If they are confident and have the strength, they can simply say no, which is vital in their growth and learning,” she shared.
Addressing the matter of younger children being subject to criticism, particularly in a public setting, Jayasuriya noted that the positive or negative outcome was entirely in the hands of the person conveying the criticism. “In dance, we are always taught to employ positive reinforcement. You can say what you need to say and effectively convey your message without bringing them down,” she said.
Sharing an example, she said: “If I want my girls to stand tall, I could either ask, ‘Girls, you are not standing tall, why is that?’ or I could choose to say, ‘Well done for standing tall’. When I choose the latter, all the girls will quickly fix themselves, so there’s really no need to choose the negative message,” Jayasuriya said.
Considering Jayasuriya’s statement, it can be assumed that when given proper training and through empowering children, they may be better equipped to deal with these challenging new environments when it comes to participating in large-scale televised competitions.
More harm than good?
As has been discussed, there can be positive consequences of encouraging and nudging children towards taking on these more challenging experiences. However, according to Sri Lanka College of Psychiatrists President Dr. Gihan Abeywardena, televised competitions “could be doing more harm than good”.
Dr. Abeywardena noted that it was “disturbing” to have witnessed some of these shows on television, adding that he felt it was incredibly harmful for the children participating. He said that what was most striking was that these children were not judged on performances that were appropriate for their age. “These children are judged on singing classical songs or music that is performed by adults. They are not singing songs that children sing, so they are judged on standards that are beyond their capabilities,” he said.
“Some of these judgements speak of voice handling and ability to pitch, telling the child after rejection that they can go home, work harder, and try again next time. Such advice is damaging, indicating to these children that they are simply not good enough and they must put in more effort when in fact they are performing beyond the most typical expectations of children,” he added.
Dr. Abeywardena noted that the ability to accept defeat came with lived experience, so being subject to rejection and defeat at such a young age in a public setting could be devastating for a child’s mental and social development.
“A child’s entire world may collapse around them based on this one rejection. Children are faced with so many expectations when participating in these shows – they have teachers and parents supporting them, a lot of money is spent, and some may even have an entire village supporting and encouraging them. These children are known by their schoolmates who are also expecting them to succeed. When they are faced with defeat after all of this it can be severely detrimental to their entire worldview and personality. They may feel that they cannot face anyone anymore or they may adopt a defeatist mentality, assuming they no longer are worthy or capable of success,” he said.
Echoing sentiments expressed by both Dr. Pitigala and Natasha Jayasuriya, Dr. Abeywardena also observed that if children were made to endure such competitions, then it was imperative that the judges and others involved in the production who had to interact with the children be subject to some form of training. “They should be given prior training on how to handle children and how to communicate with them without causing lasting detrimental effects to a child’s mental and social well being,” he said, adding: “I don’t believe this type of awareness is given to any of these judges we currently see on TV.”
