or


20/20
Air Date: Friday, May 30, 2008
Time Slot: 10:00 PM-11:00 PM EST on ABC
Episode Title: "N/A"
[NOTE: The following article is a press release issued by the aforementioned network and/or company. Any errors, typos, etc. are attributed to the original author. The release is reproduced solely for the dissemination of the enclosed information.]

HOW YOUNG IS TOO YOUNG?, ON ABC NEWS' "20/20," FRIDAY, MAY 30

Reports Include Interviews with Sarah Jessica Parker and Salma Hayek About Guarding Their Kids from the Probing Paparazzi

From teenage paparazzi to steroids in youth sports and even parents who encourage their kids to do ultimate fighting, "20/20" reports on young people who push the envelope for better or worse. Additionally, how young is too young to be the target of the paparazzi? Stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Selma Hayek speak candidly about the constant battle to keep their kids out of the public eye. "How Young Is Too Young?" airs on "20/20," FRIDAY, MAY 30 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Reports include:

Young Paparazzi: Blaine Hewison and Austin Visschedyk have become regulars among Los Angeles' sometimes rough-and-tumble paparazzi... a notable achievement given that the boys are only 15. The teens have established themselves as photographers of the stars, mixing it up with men twice their size and age in the hunt for the big money shots. But is being a paparazzo an appropriate job for a teenager? Elizabeth Vargas reports on the "pint size paparazzi".

Celebrity Baby Photos: Parenthood used to be a private affair for most stars, but celebrity baby photos are now big business. Some stars invite the attention, but others fight to keep the paparazzi away from their children. Deborah Roberts talks to two Hollywood moms, Sarah Jessica Parker and Salma Hayek, about how they handle the constant media frenzy. "I was hounded� they are parked outside of your house and they will not move for months, I didn't leave my house for three months," Hayek says after giving birth to her first child last September. "I've become more reclusive."

Sarah Jessica Parker says that, after the birth of her son, "photographers moved into apartments next door to us and� we really found ourselves kind of living like a spy movie." She tells Roberts that the constant attention has taken a toll on her son. "It makes him not particularly inclined to take family photos because he has a relationship with the camera that's antagonistic."

Steroids and Kids: Corey Gahan was once a world champion, the fastest teen on in-line skates. But he says his dreams were shattered by his father, Jim, who would stop at nothing to groom a world class athlete. When Corey was just 12, Jim started injecting him with steroids. Yet Jim's overabundant enthusiasm for victory eventually led to drug charges, conviction and jail for providing steroids to his son. In an interview from prison, Jim Gahan tells Jim Avila, "I was pushing him for the both of us, because I liked it, and he loved it," he says. "In order for him to compete at the level he was competing, he was going to have to be a monster�You get caught up in the moment, and all that's around you. We got caught up in the high. We were caught up in the excitement."

Ultimate Fighting: Most parents do not want their kids to fight with each other, but these days some parents are saying, "fight harder!" These parents are training their kids in mixed martial arts � also known as Ultimate Fighting. At gyms across the country, they are learning choke holds, kicks and other moves designed to force their opponent to submit � and it is making some politicians unhappy.

One mayor in Fall River, Massachusetts is out to shut down one such gym, saying it's society's job to keep kids from learning such a violent sport. But is what they are learning really that bad? John Stossel takes a closer look, and even gets into the ring with the kids to see what it is all about.

Genius Toddlers: How young is too young to start teaching your children to memorize the U.S. presidents or world capitals? When can parents see that a child is gifted, and what should they do to encourage their children's intellectual development without pushing them too far? Bill Ritter reports on the phenomenon of child prodigies, introduces viewers to three highly intelligent kids, and talks to an expert about what qualifies as extraordinary development. (OAD: October 2007)

"20/20" is anchored by Elizabeth Vargas and John Stossel. David Sloan is executive producer.

Share |