Should child actors be expected to be role models? I say YES.

Child actors in shows marketed for young audiences should be expected to serve as role models for their young audiences.  Some people claim that child actors should have the right to make mistakes and to do whatever they want and not be judged so harshly by society by it, but the mistakes that they make are still seen by their younger audiences, and oftentimes, they don't understand that they are making a mistake, but that they are doing it since they are "cool" or something.  When a Disney star like David Henrie for example goes out drinking when he is 19, even if it is in Puerto Rico, where the legal drinking age is 18, younger audiences don't understand that concept.  They don't look up the legal drinking age in Puerto Rico.  They just take it as a 19 year old American actor is drinking, and that it is perfectly fine to drink alcohol.  


Even though Lindsay Lohan isn't portrayed as a Disney actor as much anymore, she first launched her career in the Disney movie, the Parent Trap.  Lohan has been in many scandals recently, including multiple DUIs and drug charges.  She was sentenced to 90 days in jail in July, 2010, 30 days for her first DUI arrest, another 30 days for her second arrest, and 30 more days for reckless driving, but in the end, she only had to serve 13 days in jail before being released and sent directly to drug rehabilitation.  Teenagers or younger audiences may absorb these events in a different manner than people who understand the situation differently will.  Younger audiences might think that driving under the influence, using drugs (like cocaine, which Lohan uses), or reckless driving is perfectly fine, because even if they do it and get arrested for it, they won't get into much trouble, since they may think that they won't need to serve the full sentence like Lohan did.  


Child actors are often seen as role models to younger audiences, and if they are constantly exposed to the actors they look up to doing things that aren't viewed as "proper" to society, they won't understand that, since they are often too young to decipher between the wrong and the right.  Child actors should act as role models to their audiences, and act in a way that won't harm others if imitated or followed.


Resources:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/comments_blog/2010/07/free-lindsay-lohan-ordered-to-jail-but-for-how-long-.html
http://backseatcuddler.com/2009/03/05/latest-disney-star-scandal-booze-skanks/ (I read a lot of the comments for opinions and some ideas.)