I have wondered about the some of the same things that you mention in this post, such as leaving an 8-year-old on his/her own with a lot of older kids.

Do we know how "real" this reality show was? Obviously cameramen are always present and I am assuming they had directors, caterers etc. Were there any safeguards for these kids? Anyone to break up fights? treat injuries? monitor their health?

Wheat Among Tares

Mir, I smelled trouble the first time I saw the advertisement for the series a couple of months back or so. Like Angry Mind, I connected the show to Lord of the Flies in my mind, and we all know how pleasantly that worked out. Reality TV is mainly senasationalism at the expense of some people's lives. But how could CBS do Kid Nation without the kids' parents agreement. Maybe it's like some other reality show where the so-called real people are really aspiring actors with parents pushing them from behind.

CBS is running out of creative ideas. Is this Survivor for kids?

Great post. Great links.

"Love is liquid. Brew and be drunkards!" ~~Nordette. And here's a link to the blog.

Were someone TRYING to kill these kids? I can't imagine any reason for putting bleach in a soda bottle in reach of a bunch of kids other than an attempted poisoning.
----
Jen
http://yawwblog.blogspot.com
http://angryfatgirlz.blogspot.com
http://toledolefty.blogspot.com

At the risk of stating the obvious:

* If you don't want your kid watching it, say no. It's called "being a parent."

* Who the heck are these parents who presumably had to sign a bunch of paperwork to allow their 8-15 year olds to participate in this? Are they insane or did they really think that it was a good idea to put their kid in an environment where the most mature person on site for 40 days is not an adult? This is not anything like having a babysitter for the evening. This is not even anything like parents who leave their 10-15 year olds home alone for the day while they go to work (I have seen this, I assume it's a money issue). Why has child protective services not stomped this thing and arrested every adult involved for child endangerment?

* I am working under the assumption that either the cameras are mounted somewhere so that control and editing are remote, or that the camera operators have specifically been told not to interfere. Hey after all, it's not exciting television if the kids all behave themselves. If anything, I would not be shocked if the camera operators actually deliberately stir up trouble just to create drama. (What was bleach doing on site at all? Not like the kids need bright white linens, eh?)

I have to say that while the bleach episode seems incredibly and tragically irresponsible, I am not ready to condemn the whole show and premise with such a heavy hand.

People send their children to camp for a month...where they are tended by 14 and 15 year olds with a few adults over the age of 21. There were adults on site...probably hoards of them.

As for the grease fire injury (and actually the bleach as well), it could have happened at home just as easily and is far more likely I am betting. Every 4 seconds a disabling injury happens in U.S. homes. That is just the ones considered disabling. Children get injured constantly on trampolines and playing sports-probably a much higher percentage than had any kind of injury during this filming. But, you wouldn't have such scathing views of parents who sign their children up for soccer, would you? Or the neighbor who is irresponsible enough to have a trampoline in her yard?

~TW
Retro-Food

According to the sources I read, there were very few adults on site and those who were had instructions to take a hands-off approach to the kids. There was a medic and a psychologist on site, but none of the usual watchdogs making sure the kids didn't work longer hours than chlid labor laws permit. I hadn't read about the bleach incident at the time I wrote my blog post. That's awful. They're lucky someone wasn't killed with it!

I cannot imagine a set of circumstances that would be so compelling that I would turn my kid over to a production crew (even WITH hordes of adults) for a month. Just hearing the stories on the backstage of AGT was enough to send me into orbit, and I sent my kid with a trusted adult to that...never again. I had reservations then and I know better now.

karoli (odd time signatures)

TW must have gone to a very different summer camp than I did.

All the counselors at my camp were at least college aged. In addition, there were instructors and leaders who were all adults. Every day we had 6-10 hours of planned, supervised activities, excluding mealtimes and head-checks. My kid just went to a day camp at the YMCA. Not only were all the counselors all at least 16 (they might have all been at least 18 but some look young), there were plenty of adults directly involved with the camp and even more down the hall working for the YMCA itself.

Sure, kids get injured playing sports on a regular basis, however organized sports have a grown-up coach whose job includes teaching kids to play in a manner than reduces the risk of injury. Sure, kids get injured at home, but home also has parents who theoretically say things like "Don't do X, you might get hurt" and who is there to pick up the fire extinguisher if there is a grease fire. Sure, idiot neighbors have idiot things on their property, but not only should parents say "no you are not going to go over to the Smith's place", Mr. and/or Mrs. Smith should be supervising people on their own property.

Not all accidents can be prevented through supervision, of course. Nor does adult supervision prevent all problems among children. However, even the best kid has moments of bad judgment, and over the course of 40 days even the smartest and wisest kid is going to do something ill advised. And that's assuming there's not someone deliberately making trouble.

I am curious to see this program. When I first saw the advertisements, I was horrified. But then I stopped to think about it for a while. I worked at a summer camp when I was 17 and took care of TONS of kiddos all by myself--age 2 up to high school. And then I started thinking about what an interesting social experiement this is. I'm sure we can learn a LOT from watching these children interact and learn about living all on their own. That being said, most reality shows are scripted, and I'm sure there were adults all over the place watching everything. Would I send my own child (that I don't have)? Hmmm... I'm thinking no. But I must admit, I can't wait to see the show.

A television program is a business venture. The purpose of a television show is to help generate profit for the company and advertisers. So what we have here is a group of parents willing to lend their kids physical and emotional safety to a TV show. Huh?

CBS is not a charity. It is a multi-billion dollar business. We stand on our high moral ground and declare that child labor is immoral and illegal. Why is this ok? Why do we need this at this time?

Are we so starved for entertainment and sensationalism that we now need children to perform as "reality players?" And let's not forget it is not reality because what you will see will be edited and parts suggested or implied will be inserted.

How is this different from child laborers? Oh, they don't get paid? There is no prize? It is the summertime and the kids would be goofing off anyway, right? It is an "adventure" of a lifetime that the parent couldn't deny the kid.

Eight years old people with no adult supervision? Being a latch key kid is not the same as this because parents eventually come home! These kids are not only not home but there is no parent in proximately.

Children have "guardians" to look after them because we as a society said that children don't have the capacity to make financial, ethical or moral decisions.

This is bad judgment from the network, the producers and the parents. Adult people can sign off on making fools of themselves. This is going to stay with the kids for a heck of a long time, especially if something embarrassing happens to one of them.

Gena - Out On The Stoop

I CANNOT wait for this show to start!!!! My son (15yo) sent in his application and video for Kid Nation 2 in July and has already been contacted by the assistant casting director!! From the 4 minutes of video I have seen the "work" these children did was nothing more than what is done on a working farm every day. We laughed hysterically when one young participant said, "I'm a princess I don't do dishes!" UNBELIEVEABLE!!!!! No wonder our society's work ethic is going down the drain. People baby their children, give them whatever they want, do everything for them and then release them into society totally unprepared for the "real world" - NOW THAT'S CHILD ABUSE!!!!
My son is praying he is chosen so he can show the nation that there are kids who know what it takes to live on their own and be role model and helper for those who struggle.

I happened to notice this NYT item on the show. Apparently the state of New Mexico is investigating them for possible violation of state child labor laws and some sort of zoning problem related to running an unlicensed group home for children. Somehow I doubt that turning away the state investigator was a good idea.

"These kids were in good hands and under good care with procedures and safety structures that arguably rival or surpass any school or camp in the country," the CBS statement read.

Also, a producer called parents every three days to offer updates on the children

~TW
Retro-Food

People, people, don't listen to the garbage rumors. There has been a ton of publication of this "Several children required medical attention after drinking bleach that had been left in an unmarked soda bottle, according to both the parent
and CBS. One 11-year-old girl burned her face with splattered grease
while cooking." but if you'd just bother to follow up on it, you'd find the kids immediately spat out the bleach, and that the girl who was burned not only was doing it for reasons she really wasn't supposed to be doing, but she said, and I quote, "It's no big deal. It happens all the time." Besides, that could happen at any point someone is cooking greasy potatoes. She could have just as easily been burned at home. Overall, the show has less danger then many kids on working farms face, and even if a kid is hurt, the medical care is not only immediate, but X100 better then what parents could do. They also had psychiatrists in case they were needed, and the kids have said "There were more adults there then kids running around all day." Not to mention all but one kid has said given the option, they'd do it again. Some kids were even DEPRESSED upon returning home because their adventure was over. I am 14, and given the option, I'd go to that place in a heart beat. There was also the worry of "An 8-year-old" being there with no supervision. Don't you, then, find it odd the yellow district, made almost entirely of kids under 12, beat the older kids consistently throughout the show? Anyways, all I'm asking is for people to THINK before they go spreading complete rumors like that.