DelaneyJackson

When new installments of media geared towards younger audiences are released, both positive and negative things come from the child stars gaining attention.

For new child actors, unique opportunities are immediately discovered, along with a newfound love for the art of acting. Nonetheless, the young actors who are forcefully pushed into the spotlight are often victims of intense sexualization by both fans and the media.

Hollywood has a lengthy history of sexualizing child stars in and out of their respective franchises. Audiences of Harry Potter, Stranger Things, Percy Jackson and the Olympians and the IT universe frequently note the mistreatment of the kids who play important roles in these series. “I have definitely seen numerous people and accounts online acting differently towards some child actors,” junior Madi Eichele said.

One of the most well known recent cases is Emma Watson. Growing up in the spotlight because of the Harry Potter series, she has been the victim of objectively gross comments from all over the industry. From a countdown to her 16th birthday to a photographer sneaking under her skirt as she emerged from a club right after turning 18, her life has been deeply affected by members of the media who have made unnecessary comments concerning her body.

Sadly, this tradition of objectification still continues today. Younger actors, both male and female, have also become targets. Stranger Things stars Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard have each received disgusting comments from both reporters and fans that made them victims of child sexualization.

When Brown was just 13, W Magazine published a list by the name of “Why TV is Sexier than Ever,” including her in the article. She has stated before that she’s been experiencing sexualization for nearly her whole career, describing it as an occurrence that has lasted “for forever.” Brown noted that she has seen a noticeable difference in the way she has been treated since her 18th birthday.

At an interview panel for Stranger Things, the host made an inappropriate comment directed towards Wolfhard concerning his name, to which multiple of his older castmates came to his defense.

“I haven’t seen as much sexualization of young female actors in the past few years, […] but I feel like it’s shifted more towards young male actors,” Eichele said.

 This especially applies to Walker Scobell.

Scobell, title character in Percy Jackson and the Olympians– which so happens to be a TV series based on a kids’ book series– has suffered the same fate as those previously mentioned. Girls stalking him online, desperate to be seen by him, along with disturbing comments made by fans in the comments of posts about the series have continued to make this issue relevant today.

Scobell’s case is one of the most notable ones in the past couple years, and it has shed light on the fact that young actors can be hurt by this idea along with actresses. Petitions have been made calling for an end to the objectification of Scobell and his Percy Jackson and the Olympians co-star Leah Sava Jeffries.

Admiration for young stars can quickly turn into an issue if it goes too far. “I think people should take into account the way they speak about young actors because it can often become problematic since they’re so young,” Eichele said.

The concept of sexualizing child actors is nothing new, nor has it ever really been. These kids have always been victims of the spotlight, however it has been worsened by the rise of social media, making the stars’ stories more accessible to the public. An end to this horrific trend does not seem to be in the near future.