Why reality shows are no child's play

The video of singer Papon kissing a minor girl during Holi celebrations on a TV set disturbed many people this week - yet the grim reality of child reality shows is no secret.

Many artistes have voiced concern about the rights of these child contestants. Last July, filmmaker Shoojit Sircar even called for a ban on all reality shows involving children. "It's actually destroying them emotionally and their purity," he tweeted.

TV talent hunts have proliferated in recent years, attracting high TRPs and making overnight stars out of tiny tots. The fame comes at a high cost though. "The competition is heartbreaking," says Sania Shaikh, whose daughter Ayat was a contestant on the same show a couple of years ago. "Most of the time, the shows are not performance-based, but dependent on votes and popularity. The children feel pressurised because the whole world is watching them fail on television," says Shaikh. "For small children, it is very difficult to understand why they didn't get selected." Despite Ayat's audition video going viral, Shaikh has decided to promote her daughter's singing talent through YouTube rather than reality TV to ensure that her education and life isn't disrupted.

In 2011, the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights had issued guidelines for children participating in TV shows and advertisements, regulating working hours, prohibiting inappropriate roles and providing for adequate supervision. But nobody follows these measures "99% of the times", says Amit Behl, senior joint secretary, Cine & TV Artistes' Association. "That is primarily because there's no regulatory body for reality and talent-based shows in India to supervise or counsel. With glamour-struck parents living their dreams through their offspring, rules are easy to flout."

The 2011 guidelines are also vague on dealing with child sexual abuse. Educationist Swati Popat-Vats says that incidents like the Papon video reveal low awareness about the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act."The industry should make it compulsory for every adult staff, crew and even teenagers on every set to know about POCSO, and what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate touch," says Popat-Vats, who is president of the Mumbai-based Early Childhood Association and has drafted a set of guidelines for children working in films and television.

Shaikh says most parents are not aware of the laws. "It is important that the child is never left alone during shoots," she adds.

Filmmaker Amole Gupte, a vocal critic, says it is imperative to have a code of conduct for both adults and children working in the entertainment industry. "Indians come from a feudal value system where it's normal for adults to physically show emotion. It's necessary that adults start realising that there is no need to show affection to a child that you have not brought into the world," he says. "A child also needs to be coached on being alert before entering unfamiliar territory."

Gupte adds that like schools, film and television sets need to be child-friendly and safe. "At every workshop and shooting, I brief the cast, crew and assistants that they must keep the necessary distance from children."

Reality TV shows can be both physically and emotionally draining for children. "Some of them are so small and yet have to shoot even past midnight," says music composer and talent show judge Joy Sarkar. "The parents are also very pushy. Some don't think twice if the child loses a year in school. For them, the show is worth any sacrifice."

But there may be a psychological price to pay. Mumbai-based clinical psychologist Sonali Gupta says these shows may end up scarring the child in the long run. "The very idea of capitalising on children's emotions is problematic. There is pressure to develop resilience and face rejection .They are expected to be adult-like though they are not cognitively and emotionally adults," she says. She advises parents to introspect if it's their own ambitions coming to the fore, and be supportive to ease the child's stress. "Let the show be a part of the child's identity, not become his entire identity."

- With inputs from Mohua Das, Mumbai and Priyanka Dasgupta, Kolkata