9 - Global Media Law or Ethics
Hannah Diffee
Professor Reppert
Media Law and Ethics
May 2025
9 - Global Media Law or Ethics
The Ethical Concerns Surrounding Child Reality TV Stars
Reality television is a genre of television that focuses on footage of real-life situations or events. The genre erupted onto the media scene in the early 2000s, with franchises like The Bachelor, Survivor, and American Idol gaining global popularity for their engaging and dramatic storylines that offered an escape for audiences. Reality TV encompasses a wide variety of topics: some shows focus on lifestyle, such as Teen Mom and Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and others on home renovations, like Fixer Upper and House Hunters. Many reality shows center on competitions, such as baking, dancing, dating, and talent, giving viewers a glimpse into activities they may never experience for themselves.
While reality programs are mostly unscripted, producers often guide their narratives by introducing obstacles, guiding participants' behavior, and encouraging cast members to react in specific ways to create drama. Reality TV aims to present compelling stories and maintain audience engagement; therefore, many scenarios are entirely fabricated or dramatized.
Children in Reality TV
Children have starred in television since the medium began, but specific ethical and legal concerns arise when they participate in reality TV. Reality shows provide viewers with a personal look into the lives of children they do not know, broadcasting their struggles and milestones for thousands to see. Competitions such as Toddlers and Tiaras and Dance Moms placed children in high-stakes environments, where they faced immense pressure from a very early age. These shows profited from the misfortunes of young girls during a time in their lives when they could not consent to being filmed, and their parents had the ultimate authority.
Children have starred in television since the medium began, but specific ethical and legal concerns arise when they participate in reality TV. Reality shows provide viewers with a personal look into the lives of children they do not know, broadcasting their struggles and milestones for thousands to see. Competitions such as Toddlers and Tiaras and Dance Moms placed children in high-stakes environments, where they faced immense pressure from a very early age. These shows profited from the misfortunes of young girls during a time in their lives when they could not consent to being filmed, and their parents had the ultimate authority.
Video: The WORST Toddler and Parent Tantrums Ever! | Toddlers and Tiaras
Currently, no laws exist to protect children working in reality television, as they do not qualify under child labor or performer laws and often lack a contract separate from their parents'. This makes the genre highly dangerous, leaving room for children to be exploited by adults and subjected to harmful work environments. "When you consider that children who appear on reality television shows deserve at least as much protection as other child performers, it is not difficult to go even further and argue that they deserve more protection because it is their own identities and their own lives being put on public display" (Psychology Today).
Dance Moms
Dance Moms was a dance reality series that premiered on the American cable channel Lifetime on July 13, 2011. The series, which spanned eight seasons, followed the training and careers of young dancers under the mentorship of Abby Lee Miller at the Abby Lee Dance Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It initially followed the dancers on Miller's Junior Elite Competition Team, and their moms, as they prepared for and competed at dance competitions across the country. Many girls attained stardom by appearing on the show, notably JoJo Siwa, Maddie Ziegler, and Ava Michelle.
Above: Ziegler and Siwa at the 2016 Industry Dance Awards
Miller was notorious for being highly critical of the girls and moms, creating a toxic environment in which the girls were judged against each other and held to impossibly high standards.
In a 2023 interview with Emily Ratajkowski, Ziegler talked about her experience growing up in the spotlight. She shared that people sometimes approach her and remark that they still see her as the seven or eight-year-old girl she was on the Dance Moms set. She finds this odd, stating, "It's like they almost know more about my little self than I do...I'll see people posting things of me and I'm like, 'I don't even remember doing that.' Ziegler mentioned that she has blocked out much of her childhood due to the pressures she endured: "I've blocked out so much of my childhood that I actually don't know what my life was like, even, just before working." Ziegler's experiences reveal the harsh reality of stardom, showcasing the consequences of children being pushed into the spotlight before they truly understand what that means.
Above: Image contains link to a video
On the show, Ziegler was known for being an extreme perfectionist, a mindset instilled in her from a young age. She became a competitive dancer at age four and was scouted for Dance Moms when she was six. Her time in the Abby Lee Dance Company only heightened her perfectionist tendencies, as she was frequently placed at the top of Miller's pyramid and treated as a shining model for the other girls. "My thought process when I was younger, through my dance teacher, was like, You have to be the best. If you don't win, you're not good," Ziegler shared. This mindset was incredibly damaging, and she is still working to unlearn it today.
Above: The number of times each Dance Moms girl was placed at the top of the pyramid (Source: Reddit user Herodias).
Like other reality TV shows, the events of Dance Moms were heavily edited and often dramatized for television audiences. Ziegler shared how male producers often fed her lines to make her appear arrogant and self-centered. "They would say, 'say you're the best,' 'say you're better than everyone else...' so I was perceived kind of like a little brat in the first season."
Video: Maddie in Season One
Maddie's perfectionism also served as a plot point for many episodes.
Video: Dance Moms: "Maddie Can't Handle Not Winning" (Season 2)
In her "High Low" interview, the dancer shared that in 2022, she had an emotional conversation with her mom, leading to her mother apologizing for putting her through the Dance Moms experience. "Last year, I was having a really bad panic attack, and I called my mom, and things were coming up from the past, and she apologized to me. She was like, 'I'm so sorry I put you through that.' It's so sad because she would never want to hurt us, but none of us knew how crazy it would get."
Conclusion
The presence of children in reality television raises many ethical and legal concerns that demand reform. In particular, Maddie Ziegler's journey as a child star reveals the harmful psychological effects of early fame and emphasizes the need for regulations to ensure children are well-protected.
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