Whenever generative AI (or whatever, could be the climate driven death of slop) has completely replaced the need to use actual live child actors we’ll look back at Hollywoods use of child actors as straight up barbarism and child exploitation of the worst kind.
As always, without the economic incentive to do the barbarous thing we’ll suddenly turn around and exclaim, “how could humans have done that for so long” completely oblivious to whatever horror is going on next to us at that time.
Similar example, child chimney sweeps. Small enough to get into those numerous chimneys, someone has to after all, and they’re cheap! (Paid less than adults to do a job adults can’t do, sounds familiar…) They were phased out, not by safety concerns for the kids, but simply because they weren’t needed anymore as technology advanced. In modern times we have the luxury to look back and think we’re so much better than that now, but we aren’t. Not even close.