30The new documentary series “Quiet On Set” dives into the deeper secrets behind children’s television and how cruel of a world it can actually be for these young upcoming stars. The documentary shares the vivid details of horrifying past stories from many famous Nickelodeon child actors.
One child actor who shared his story, Drake Bell, explained how his acting coach Brian Peck, molested and groomed him. Drake Bell is well known for his show that came out in 2004, “Drake & Josh.”
Another child star Amanda Bynes, who became known for her hit show, “The Amanda Show,” faced inappropriate relations with the producer, Dan Schneider. Lots of rumors surround this particular relationship and it is said that lots of the bits in her show were written to mock the abuse she faced. In addition to this, there was lots of dark vulgar humor that was intended for such a young audience.
This documentary has given these child stars the ability to speak out and share their stories after staying silent for so long. This trauma also carried into their adult lives as well, for example, Drake Bell has struggled with drug addiction and alcoholism. He also got in trouble for lewd acts with a minor, and these struggles heavily influenced his acting career as an adult. The main concern moving forward, and this goes for all children’s networks, should be the safety of the young kids on set.
Parents should be allowed to escort their children at all times with no questions asked. A lot of the horrifying things that happened to these young stars could have been easily avoided if there had been more parental supervision on set. “I think it’s so disappointing and heartbreaking to see how these young children and their parents were manipulated into thinking everything was okay and that their children were in good hands,” said second-year Hutchins major Aly Shoemaker. This statement goes to show how shocked the world was to hear about the inadequate safety precautions around child actors and crew members.
“I think the best part of the documentary is that it doesn’t hide anything, it shows you exactly who these people are and they are disgusting,” said fourth-year communications major Jack Grote.
Although there is no way to be certain that things like this will not happen again in the future, there are so many ways to raise the level of security around these young children while they enter the film industry. Background checks should be mandatory for everyone working with children as well. They are mandatory for working at a daycare, why is it not mandatory for children’s television?
“While watching this documentary I felt really bad for the parents because they weren’t bad parents, they just didn’t know that they were being manipulated,” said first-year nursing major Liam Orr. In my opinion, I don’t blame the parents for anything because this was the first time for them and their children to enter this type of world. The parents were manipulated to think it was a safe environment for their children and the men working at Nickelodeon who took part in the inappropriate actions toward the kids were grooming them to not talk about it. It goes to show that there should be a higher standard for the people who are working and taking care of children.
