The Learning Network: Would You Want to Be a Tween or Teen Star?

 

In “Tween Stars Wanted: Must Be Primed for Pressure”:

The manufacture of child stars is not as easy as it used to be. There was a time when all it took was a perky personality, a little talent and a slot on the Mickey Mouse Club. Now child stars have to anchor TV series and movie spinoffs, churn out hit songs, write books and headline global concert tours — when they’re not introducing their signature line of clothing at Wal-Mart.

There is also more competition, and not just between Nickelodeon and Disney. Add “Glee,” ABC Family, MTV, CW and almost every record label into the mix; Justin Bieber ascended via YouTube. There are also more opportunities for teenage stars to screw up in a world where Twitter and Facebook stand ready to document every roll of their eyes. It remains to be seen whether Ms. McClain will be able to absorb fame without becoming yet another teenage train wreck.

Disney and Nickelodeon executives worry about pushback from parents who are fed up with a tween-star scenario that has become all too common: actresses sold as role models who quickly become the opposite. At what point do skeptical parents stop allowing their children to tune in?

Jamie Lynn Spears of Nickelodeon’s “Zoey 101” became pregnant at 16. Vanessa Hudgens (“High School Musical”) had a nude photo scandal. [Miley] Cyrus abruptly adopted a sex kitten persona, a transformation inexplicably backed by the Disney-owned Hollywood Records. [Demi] Lovato, famous for “Camp Rock” and “Sonny With a Chance,” has recently been in rehab.

Students: Tell us how you feel about the lives of tween and teen stars and the pressures they face. If you had the choice, would you want to be a young star like the ones described in this article? What tween stars did you watch grow up? Why do you think so many seem to get into trouble?

Students 13 and older are invited to comment below. Please use only your first name. For privacy policy reasons, we will not publish student comments that include a last name.

Teachers: Here are 10 ways to teach with this feature.