Imagine living a life of dressing rooms with your name on it, award shows with you as one of the nominees and admirers all over the nation claiming to be your biggest fan, with the signs and wall-to-wall poster shrine to prove it. A life of fame that is almost unimaginable for the average person.

Would you want it? The fame and glory, knowing that with it comes the difficulties of strict contractual obligations, like being told what to wear, how to speak and the granting of other facets of life to the companies like Disney or Nickelodeon who pay your bills and virtually own you?

Now imagine doing it all as a child. Wishing away so many luxuries, privacy, independence, all in the name of fame. Could you handle it? For many of these fame-ridden child stars, it appeared that it was too much to manage at a time in their life when they entered the real world years before they were ready for it.

Lindsay Lohan is a prime example of a rise to stardom that led to an equally publicized and dramatic fall. Lohan, whose star potential was acknowledged at an early age in films like “The Parent Trap” and “Freaky Friday,” built a well-known presence both on and off the camera as a talented young ingenue, becoming America’s sweetheart. Winning awards from MTV Movie Awards’ best female performance, to Teen Choice Awards’ movie breakout star to Young Artist Awards’ leading young actress, she appeared to have the world at her fingertips at an age when kids often occupy their own with a mere cellphone. But after being blinded by fame, the tough realities and sacrifices of being a child actress come together to form the perfect storm. Lohan found herself spiraling with addiction as she came to terms with this illusion of where she fit into the world.

Tia Mowry, a famous child actress for films and TV shows like “Sister, Sister,” provided insight into this harsh reality. She said, “You’re a child who is working. You have a job. That job is a hard job. Everybody thinks being a child star is glamorous. But when you’re on a show, you are often carrying a whole show and you know that. You have to pull it off. You have to know your lines. People are making money off you.” Lohan was no exception to this often unsustainable lifestyle, and after being exploited for years, the world watched as her spiral landed her in rehab repeatedly, resulting in a prolonged parental guardianship. In 2007, Lohan even pleaded guilty to misdemeanor cocaine use and driving under the influence. All ways of lashing out and trying to make sense of a world that had been idolizing her since she was 3 years old. But society’s unbridled support of the girl on the screen was no excuse to turn a blind eye to the human being who was suffering behind it, and she’s not the only victim of this vicious cycle of childhood stardom.

For example, Amanda Bynes, once the face of Nickelodeon, got her start on the beloved channel and ultimately came to star in her own show, “The Amanda Show.” Following her own breakdown of sorts, USA Today wrote in 2013 that Bynes was “hospitalized in Los Angeles while undergoing psychiatric evaluation after making headlines on both coasts for her troubling behavior.” The difference in treatment between men and women is another problem within the industry. Bynes herself is known for having body image issues because of the brainwashing imposed on her by Hollywood’s beauty standards. It was so unfeasible that it prompted her Adderall addiction and even pushed her to quit acting as a whole.

However, men in the industry seem to be able to more successfully avoid the headlines and dodge the standards that fuel mental health issues like anxiety and body dysmorphia for women. Men even tend to leave the industry without such disapproval, like Dylan Sprouse, who starred on “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.” Sprouse took years off from acting without nearly so much media attention as stars like Lohan or Bynes. Fans seemingly accept male actors no matter their appearance or actions, leaving women much more susceptible to judgment and criticism.

Another problem that more young female actresses face is being sexualized at a young age. Dan Schneider, a producer for Nickelodeon, has been called out for sexualizing these minors in the shows he produces, both by fed-up fans and some of the actors themselves. Jennette McCurdy, who played Sam on “iCarly” and “Sam & Cat,” was one example of an actress who came forward to expose him, saying in one video, “Look what you’ve done to me.” The mental toll that these jobs take on these children is unbearable, and threatens their futures as well as their careers. No human being is meant to endure such walls of pressure at a time when braces and school should define their short-lived existences. And social media is no help — it is merely a way of hiding this struggle from the world through cute photos and captions. Another method of shielding their struggle from the millions of followers who want nothing more than to be just like them when, really, they have no idea what their lives are like.

We cannot go on inflicting this kind of lifestyle on not just actors or singers, but any children who are not equipped with the tools to handle it. Without the foundation and learning that comes with the formative years of the infamous teen angst and childhood bliss, these people cannot have a true idea of who they are. And it is the culture that is cultivated by these companies that is the root of the issue. They are the ones who reinforce the double standards between males and females in the business. They exploit these children who don’t know any better and normalize their sexualization or objectification, all for goals as frivolous as ratings and viewership. These companies tell these kids who they want them to be, leaving them with an identity that is more of a fallacy than anything else. And when the lifestyle becomes too much to carry, they are forced to turn and reflect on who they are: a person they never had the opportunity to meet and get to know, let alone to learn from and love. The lights and glamor of showbiz buried that person, and I think the void that comes with longing to find them again is what pushes these kids to the brink.

Julia O’Reilly is a freshman majoring in biology.