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Controversy grows over Kid Nation reality show

Los Angeles
August 23, 2007 - 10:14AM

Controversy grew today about a new reality TV show that placed 40 children aged 8 to 15 in an abandoned New Mexico ghost town and left them to fend for themselves for 40 days.

The New York Times reported that New Mexico officials were investigating whether the show, Kid Nation, violated state laws on child labour and child abuse.

It said CBS, which aims to debut the show next month, was warned during filming that the set-up was likely in violation of New Mexico law.

The premise of the show is to see if the children can build a working society without the help of adults, and required them to organise their own government and fend totally for themselves 24 hours a day.

They were even allowed to socialise in the defunct saloon of the Bonanza City ghost town, though they were allowed only root beer rather than real ale.

The children were allowed to leave during the course of production and several did.

Among those who completed the 40 day stint in mid-May, the parent of one child in the production complained to state officials that the children's treatment bordered on abuse.

Four children also received medical treatment for accidentally drinking bleach, one child was burned on her face with hot grease while cooking in an unsupervised kitchen, and most of the children were required to work 14 hours or longer per day. They received a payment of $US5,000 ($A6,248.05) for their participation.

CBS contends the children were not employees because they were not performing specific work for specific wages. But a New Mexico official warned the production that the state did not agree with the network's interpretation of state labour law.

"We are not certain that those laws are limited to traditional 'employment' relationships," the official wrote, according to the The New York Times.

CBS denies the allegations and called The New York Times story, "an incomplete, misleading and patently unfair portrayal of Kid Nation."

"We are confident that the true story will be told in the weeks ahead through the episodes on the screen and the voices of the kids who participated - the overwhelming majority of whom had a positive experience," the company said in a statement.

Several of the children's parents have come out in defence of the show, saying they would absolutely allow their children to do it again even though it required them to miss up to six weeks of school for the experience.

"She feels like it was summer camp. And I guess that would be a summer camp with cameras. This was a fun adventure for her," the mother of one 12-year-old participant told the Los Angeles Times.

The mother of a 10-year-old boy said, "I know that Zachary came home a stronger, more confident and more self-reliant child. So for me the proof is in the pudding."

The show is due to begin airing in the US on September 19.