This essay should shed light on the dissonance of how children on film are portrayed versus how they are treated on set, and by the media. From early child actors like Baby Peggy and Shirley Temple to more recent actors like Macaulay Culkin to Amanda Bynes. With information on the director’s role in the portrayal and on-set treatment, the cruel and unusual punishment, the work hour, the labor laws eventually passed because of it. Feel free to add in any child actor and director who were good examples of the injustice children faced and bad examples who did not face much injustice. The role parents play in this dynamic.
