Childhood for Sale: Growing Up In Hollywood

In recent years, former child stars have begun speaking openly about the truth and effects of growing up in Hollywood, revealing a culture that treats children less like people and more like products. Josh Peck, known for Drake & Josh, has become one of the most vocal figures discussing these pressures. In interviews and his memoir, Peck reflects on how early fame shaped his body image, mental health, and sense of self-worth. Behind the laugh tracks and Nickelodeon branding, he struggled privately with disordered eating, addiction, and the pressure to constantly perform. Peck’s honesty shows how the entertainment industry can create environments where children are rewarded for being funny, cute, or marketable, but never protected as developing individuals.

Peck’s story is not an exception; it reflects a systemic problem in Hollywood. Child stars like Amanda Bynes, Lindsay Lohan, and Jennette McCurdy have all described intense emotional manipulation, sexualization, or parental exploitation. These experiences are often dismissed by audiences who grew up watching these actors and feel nostalgic instead of critical. As long as their on-screen personas seem happy, the public rarely questions what happens behind the scenes. This disconnect allows networks, producers, and family members to ignore or exploit children’s boundaries because the cultural expectation is that fame is a privilege, not a workplace.

What makes these stories especially concerning is that entertainment built for children is often produced by adults who face little accountability. Jennette McCurdy’s memoir exposed the controlling behavior and inappropriate demands of “The Creator” at Nickelodeon, yet these actions were treated as rumors for years. Josh Peck himself has discussed how child actors rarely have safe spaces to voice concerns; they are surrounded by adults whose income depends on their performance. As a result, children learn to suppress discomfort and push through exhaustion, shaping a generation of stars who enter adulthood carrying this trauma.

The public’s role cannot be ignored. Viewers consume these shows without questioning how young actors are treated. When child stars struggle, the narrative becomes individual failure rather than institutional harm. Peck’s story challenges that narrative by reminding us that fame at a young age is not glamorous, it’s a workplace with high stakes, no privacy, and little emotional support.

If Hollywood continues to rely on child labor without substantial reform, similar patterns will persist. Peck’s reflections invite audiences to rethink what it means to watch a child grow up on screen: who benefits, who is protected, and who is ultimately left to pick up the pieces. The question remains, how many more former child stars need to come forward before the industry takes responsibility for the harm it has normalized?