MovieChat Forums > Child Genius (2015) Discussion > Does this show do more harm than good?

Does this show do more harm than good?


The winner gets $100,000 for college scholarship. In reality, none of these kids will need it. They will likely all get free tuition to the college of their choice. Their parents are all middle class, they can afford to help their kids out. So is it worth all the stress and grief these parents put these kids through in order to be on this TV show? A third of these kids shouldn't be on the show at all. They are too young or too emotionally immature. The little girl who had the meltdown on the first or second episode had a history of punching walls when upset. Children like this should not be put in a high stress televised competition. Also, the privacy rights of these kids are being violated. They really don't have a choice to be on the show, their parents are the ones who signed the consent forms. These kids have to watch themselves on TV at their worst and most vulnerable moments, and they also have to watch their parents arguing with each other, making snide comments about each other, and behaving quite poorly. Much of that should not have been filmed. It's not entertainment to watch these kids or their parents having meltdowns. If this show continues into another season, they need to either raise the age of participation to 12, or do better psychological screenings. Many of these children have been exploited on this show IMO.

reply

I completely agree, the children will have to deal with the consequences of their parents decisions for the rest of their lives.

reply