During one of Variety’s Power of Young Hollywood event, a few child star stepped up and addressed to the press how online bullying has affected their lives and countless of other young lives.
The night honored actors and actresses like Cameron Dallas, Elle Fanning, Bethany Mota, and Jaden Smith who all had to navigate through the entertainment industry at a young age. Elle Fanning and Jaden Smith both remarked on how it was like to grow up with fame and how they both worked on their future acting careers. They both commented that living in the age of social media is hard on them and they are often targets of harsh criticism.
For social media stars like Mota and Dallas, who have become Instagram stars, bullying online has become a commonality for them. The biggest thing all four stars had to learn early in their fandom, is learning how to not let negative online comments affect them. Mota commented that when she is bullied, she tries to understand what is causing a person to be rude to other people online. She assumes that due to a hardship, people are unwilling to spread positivity online and that she tries to help others instead of continuing in the cycle of bullying.
Fanning also commented on how the emergence of social media has brought on a lot of good in her life, since she can be closer to her fans and share her joys instantly with them. Although with the good, there is a considerable bad, Fanning ended her comment saying that is why she is trying to use her fame for a good cause.
Jaden Smith has tried to use his fame to help the environment. He stated that he wants to create program to have plastic water bottles made from renewable resources. Most plastic from water bottles are sometimes made from petroleum or oil, so Smith commented that we humans don’t need to go to war to get oil for our bottled water anymore.
The young stars all have plans to continue their acting/entertainment careers and also try to spread positivity, whether it is a green project or being nice to fans on social media. But mostly they are spreading their message to be nice to others while commenting on the internet.
