Will Jon and Kate + 8 meet their fate?

By Michelle Giametta on 06/08/2009

For weeks now we have read countless articles and seen numerous pictures of the infamous "Jon and Kate + 8" splashed all over magazines and tabloids, television and even radio. Like all other celebrity drama, the media has taken this scandal and have run with it. Did Jon cheat on Kate? Is Jon and Kate's relationship over? Will there be another season?

Yet, out of the muck of this media frenzy a new question is raised, one that may be even more important than the rest- are the children of Jon and Kate Gosselin being exploited for money and fame? A recent CBS News article addresses this very concern, "in a cold dose of reality for reality TV, Pennsylvania's Labor Department has opened an investigation into whether the hit show "Jon & Kate Plus 8" is complying with state child labor laws."

Although children have been featured in other reality shows, "Jon and Kate + 8" centers their show on the children themselves. Cameras are filming the Gosselin family constantly in order for producers to create a half hour show. Child Labor Laws are meant to protect children from working these long hours. Is filming a reality television show considered work for these young children?

Many gossip magazines have argued that the Gosselin children are becoming more and more like child actors. A recent Dallas Morning News article reported that "Jon and Kate Gosselin have been secretly separated for six months - and are only together when they're in front of the cameras for Jon & Kate Plus 8, according to In Touch magazine." If this is the case, then aren't the children being mislead and manipulated into thinking there is no turmoil on the home front? Does TLC and the Gosselin parents have any responsibility to shelter their children from these lies?

Growing up in front of a camera can be confusing for little kids. If this rumor is true and Jon and Kate have been keeping their rocky relationship a secret in order to keep up their "happy" family reputation, how do the children perceive it? Since cameras have been there virtually all of their lives, at least as far as they can remember, how can the children ever learn the difference between reality and fantasy? Are the children constantly getting mixed messages depending upon if the cameras are on or off?

Most children learn that a home is a private place. Everything the Gosselin children do in a private setting is not private at all. The Gosselin children are not part of the decision process as to what should be aired. Even if they were, how could they comprehend the consequences of those choices? Are the parents acting in the best interest of the children or in their own best interest? Who is going to take responsibility if the children grow up to be dysfunctional adults? And, will it be too late to repair the damage that the parents and the produces have caused? What responsibility do we, as consumers of this show, bear?

[Additional Photos: "Twisted Marriage," Star Magazine, 2009; "Jon and Kate + 8" Logo, TLC, 2009; Gosselin Family Photo, Season 5, TLC, 2009]