Written By: Nirmalya Dutta | Published : August 30, 2013 5:04 PM IST
The spotlight changes people, heaping on them adulation and fanfare beyond their wildest expectations. So imagine what happens to children, barely learning to grasp their way through life when they're thrust in the limelight. Having no experience of handling things, things often end up awry and they end up as sad adults, unable to cope with the burden.
The most recent entry to this brat pack group has to be Miley Cyrus who made headlines with her big fluffy bear entrance, her scantily clad outfits and especially her 'twerking'. For the uninitiated, the Urban Dictionary defines twerking as 'The rhythmic gyrating of the lower fleshy extremities in a lascivious manner with the intent to elicit sexual arousal or laughter in one's intended audience'. So headline-grabbing was her act that the Oxford Online dictionary actually added the word 'twerk' to its dictionary after her performance! Anyway, cultural memes aside, Cyrus is obviously no longer the sweet Hannah Montana of Disney but the fact is that most child artists have trouble adjusting to adult life (though Hannah by the looks of it still seems to be in her rebel phase).
Gayatri Ayyer, a counselling psychologist, believes that children who rise to stardom early on have unique problems. She said, 'Their schedules get disrupted, they're losing out on doing things normal children to like going to school or playing with friends or spending time with their families. They are pressurised into schedules which are overwhelming for them both physically and mentally and all this takes a toll.'
There's also the aspect of these kids becoming major wage earners for their families, thrusting them into adult roles when they're still kids, roles they're not equipped to deal with it emotionally or physically. Ayyer adds, 'In most cases the family isn't prepared for this sudden influx of money and they end up putting more pressure on their child to earn money. The child too due to this unrelenting pressure could exhibit bizarre behaviours - temper tantrums, psycho somatic problems, or substance abuse.' In essence, they never learn to grow up!
Here's a list of some other child stars who broke under the pressure of stardom:
Macaulay Culkin
The little boy who acted in the Home Alone series and dated Mila Kunis for nearly 10 years admitted after years that he had been addicted to heroin and prescription drugs, the latter of which bought him an arrest. He has also admitted to smoking marijuana.
Haley Joel Osment
The Sixth Sense actor was arrested in 2006 for driving under the influence. He crashed is car suffering from minor injuries and was briefly hospitalised. He was also charged for possession of marijuana.
Britney Spears
Britney Spears was America's sweetheart, until she finally broke. Since the mid 2000s she's been in and out of rehab centres, spur of the moment marriages and at one point she walked into a salon and shaved her head showing the public that she had officially reached breaking point. Fortunately, since then Spears' has sobered up and is continuing with her music career.
Amanda Bynes
Bynes was the poster child of Nickelodeon at one point, appearing in flagship shows like All That and The Amanda Show. However as she grew older she's had continuing brushes with the law, being arrested for vehicular crimes as well as for possession. She continues to unravel in the public eye, recently deemed not of sound mind with all financial decisions being temporarily transferred to her mother.
Lindsay Lohan
No child star has fallen further than Lindsay Lohan. Can anyone even remember the sweet innocent girl from The Parent Trap? Her various brushes with the law and her court appearances have over shadowed what could have been a flourishing career. Lohan has been in and out of rehab and has been seen intoxicated in public on numerous occasions. (Read: Celebs who beat drug addiction)
With inputs from DNA's Miley Cyrus: The latest victim of spotlight at an early age
