CHILDREN IN THE ENTER SANIA MEHTA
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18 | THE PROSPECTOR
writer
he glittering world of cinema is like a double-edged sword, promising glamour but saddling child actors with lengthy hours, the responsibility to financially support their family and the pressure of maintaining a professional image in front of millions of fans. Being under the scrutiny of the public eye at all times – already a complete invasion of privacy – is a heavily taxing aspect of the industry. Moreover, child actors often do not have control over their own wages. This makes it easy for parents to economically exploit their children, as in the case of Misca Fortuna, who played Mancung in Emak Ijah Pengen ke Mekah. While she was acting in the series, her father Muhammad Delsy allegedly embezzled Rp 100,000,000 of Misca’s wages, equivalent to 6,975.28 USD. As a result, Misca’s mother notified the police about her father’s alleged theft, [presumably negative result of the police investigation]. Unfortunately, the economic exploitation of child actors still does not garner much attention. Although acting can channel a child’s interest and talent, it is also an easy venue for economic exploitation. Child actors face every problem in the acting industry, including sexual abuse. The stories of starlets like Shirley Temple and Judy Garland are long remem-
bered for their history of being manipulated. This still remains a rampant problem — actors like Corey Feldman have come forth with their allegations of sexual abuse and rape as a child. Throught the resurfacing of these stories, it is becoming apparent how vile the acting industry truly is. In addition to pressures from within the industry, child actors face new demands from social media. Like their adult counterparts, they are expected to constantly generate content for their fans and are continuously inundated with both praise and criticism from the media, blogs and anonymous strangers. Although social media made it significantly easier to directly address child actors, it has not created a consensus on how to discuss children in the spotlight. Fans and fellow stars alike have subject-
ed child actors like Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard to sexualization online. Mod-
