Do children belong to reality TV?

A recent petition filed against a reality show citing ‘exploitation’ of children, revives the debate on whether children should be part of showbiz or not. Hyderabad Times explores
Recently, Zee Telugu’s Chota Champions came under the scanner for allegedly exploiting children. A petition was filed in the Police Commissioner’s office on January 6, by Atchyutha Rao, president of Andhra Pradesh Balala Hakkula Sangham, against the channel.And this is not the first case. Prior to this, a dance reality show, Aata, also created a stir for similar reasons.This brings back the question of whether children should be participating in reality shows or not. Speaking about why he filed the petition,Atchyutha Rao, says, “This is a violation of child rights. Children as young as 2 and 3 years have been participating on such shows. They are exposed to flood lights, working for extended long hours and even miss out on studies.
It’s against the Juvenile Justice Act and Reality TV Act, where children below the age of 8 should not be participating.” The show, which recently went on air, is hosted by popular anchor Anusuya. She is seen conducting interactive games with parents and their children. Giving some insights into this issue, Shanta Sinha, former chairman of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, says that the guidelines were issued taking into consideration the severe conditions child artistes were exposed to in showbiz. “It is unfortunate that reality shows featuring children are constantly being made without looking at the psychological impact and the harm it can cause, both in short term and in the long run.
NCPCR has never issued guidelines saying children should not be working, but has asked them to follow the rules. The guidelines given — like a counsellor and a doctor will be present on the sets, both content and production should be monitored, children participating in reality shows will not be given wages and they should not be made to work for hours — should not be flouted. If the channel heads and production units have been taking care of this, then there is nothing to worry about,” says Sinha.
Whether or not it’s violation of children’s rights, serial producers have a different story to tell. Omkar Nuthalapati, producer and host of Aata, says, “People who protest against such reality shows have the wrong idea of what goes into the making. We don’t force children to come and participate. It’s purely out of their interest and for the love of dance that they do it. If the shooting for a program stretches for four months, then every month children report for shooting only for 4-5 days. The rest of the time, they attend school like normal children and rehearse according to their convenience.” A case was slapped against Aata in their fifth season, and the State Human Rights Commission had to intervene.
“Following the NCPCR guidelines, children were not even paid for participating in reality shows.We won the case and even went on to make Aata 6,” explains Omkar. Meanwhile, a representative from Zee says that people are trying to escalate things by turning a non-issue into an issue. “As directed, we had submitted a copy of the show to the commissioner and he told us that he doesn’t find anything objectionable. The show has been adapted from Zee Kannada, where it garnered top TRPs and ran for 28 episodes. If you watch Chota Champions, there are no tough tasks given to children. It is not a reality show but a game show,” says the representative.
However, apart from blaming the channel for ‘exploitation’, Atchyutha Rao, also holds the parents responsible for exposing their kids to showbiz at an early age. “Apart from the channel, even the parents are responsible for such exploitation,” says Rao. But one of the participants on the show, BV Chary, a working professional with an airline company, refutes such allegations, saying, “Why will any parent make their toddlers go through such pressure?” he asks, adding, “My three-year-old son, Roshan, had lots of fun on the show. The ambiance is welcoming and every little detail is taken care of. So much that he did not want to come back home! In fact, I liked it so much that I’ve even signed up for the second show.”