Nostalgic television stars spoke their truth in a new Max documentary series called “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.” The series aired for the first time on March 18, and it encompassed emotional stories from people who grew up working for Nickelodeon. It is important for society to understand the burden that Nickelodeon placed on these lives and how to minimize the chances of this abuse happening again. 

It can be thought that there is no ethical consumption of media. At the same time, there is no ethical consumption of anything. Working in Hollywood comes with plenty of unbalanced power dynamics, and the dynamic of children working for adults exacerbates it. The children who work in Hollywood are often the main source of income for their families, and they bear that responsibility. 

Additionally, the stress to do well to continue to succeed in order to provide for their families leads to cyclical and funnel relationships, as child actors must be docile and go along with dangerous things on set to ensure they can provide for the established survival of their families. Some think that it can be difficult for children to get out of this dynamic because if a child actor is known well enough, it may be hard to integrate into a “normal” public school. In addition, it can be hard to establish new ways to make money. This can set child actors back from other students who get a better education in traditional schooling systems, rather than doing schoolwork on set. 

According to UNICEF, nearly one-tenth  of children globally are subject to child labor, which can be forced through trafficking, and half of those children are doing hazardous work that affects their health and development. As we see the effects of child labor in the U.S. entertainment industry, it is important to think less ethnocentrically. Girls are subjected to sexual exploitation and boys may be exploited by armed groups. There is an odd underlying statement that media attention is only useful, in terms of totally unfair and horrible treatment of children, when these children were already famous and serve a beneficial role of entertainment for people. 

There are children everywhere who experience sexual assault and abuse regularly, but there is no limelight shined on it because they do not have the privilege of already having been in the limelight. Some have not yet watched the documentary series, but they have read Jennette McCurdy’s book “I’m Glad My Mom Died.” McCurdy went through a lot and never wanted to be a child actor. She was pressured into acting by her abusive mother who controlled her life and exploited her acting career for her own aggrandizement. 

If it were not for McCurdy’s mother, she would not have been subjected to the horrors and abuse that Nickelodeon allowed. The entirety of the child acting industry is filled with disgusting 

stories and abusive parents, and Nickelodeon is in need of serious reform. Our society oversexualizes children. This is a larger issue, but it can be clearly seen in how child actors have been treated, especially in the 2000s. Pink Guy/Filthy Frank/Joji’s song “Nickelodeon Girls” is satire, but it shows how society oversexualizes children and young adults. 

It is frequently thought that parents are partially to blame for the experiences child actors have had. Jennette McCurdy and a girl lightly named in the show, Brandi, are both examples of their parents putting them into the entertainment industry because they wanted to. At a point in the documentary series, Brandi’s mother said, “I have always wanted to be an actor,” and this made viewers upset. She did not report what had happened to her daughter because she was living her own dream through her daughter, which is sick to think about. 

Many also believe Drake Bell speaking about his horrific experiences was beneficial because it can encourage other actors to feel comfortable speaking out. Some are curious to hear from other child actors during the time frame that the series took place in, such as Amanda Bynes, Ariana Grande and Leonardo DiCaprio, but the viewers understand that their curiosities do not matter. The media should not be putting pressure on them to speak out. If they do not want to relive their trauma, they should not have to. 

As well as this, it can be thought that changes will happen for how child actors are treated in the future, especially within Nickelodeon because of the wake-up call they are receiving now. Viewers think it is sickening that Disney hired Brian Peck, a convicted abuser, after he got a minimal sentence for what he did. That goes to show the negligence of background checks that are being done when hiring within the industry, even though he was never physically on set of “Suite Life of Zack and Cody.”

It took Nickelodeon roughly 20 years to fire Dan Schneider. In the same way that a lot of corporations operate today, they care about money and power more than anything. 

Unanimously, the way children were treated on the sets of Nickelodeon was extraordinarily wrong. Understanding the depth of the situation and the level of negative impact the children experienced is not only ethical, but it is a safety precaution. As reasonable individuals who are part of a society that has serious work to do to improve, take further steps to ensure you will never allow children to experience this abuse again. It is not hard to do. It is just right. 

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