Disney is taking a proactive stance for its rosters of young stars. The studio is giving its budding celebrities "life classes" to help them cope with fame and avoid scandals involving drugs, sex, alcohol and other misconduct.
The life classes focus on healthy living and social media responsibility, according to New York Post. The kids are required to attend a half-day seminar called Talent 101 so that they can properly deal with the transition with their life becoming open to public scrutiny as recognizable stars.
There are also other life classes the kids can join monthly but these are optional. Pediatricians and child development experts handle the classes.
"Rather than dictate what they can and cannot do, we try to provide resources with these kinds of classes and partner with their parents to give them support and guidance," Disney's head of casting and talent Judy Taylor said. The classes also emphasize on the kids keeping in touch with friends they have known before becoming actors "to give [them] a sense of real life and to stay grounded," added Taylor.
Tweens and teens who enter show business experience the same things as any youngster going through a transition. Only, they receive more attention because of their status as up-and-coming celebrities. They get magnified praises or criticisms, which can affect their decisions and judgments. Such is the price of fame.
Disney has a long list of young stars, such as Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato, who struggled with scandals as a result of the pressures of fame. Joe Jonas acknowledged this pressure in an interview with Vulture.
"We didn't want to disappoint anyone - our parents, our fans, our employers - so we put incredible pressure on ourselves, the kind of pressure that no teenager should be under," Jonas said. He also went through a similar training with Disney and admitted he didn't like the process but understood it was important.
