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You are here: Home Life in Lifestyle Big Brother with babies causes tantrums in Germany

29/05/2009Big Brother with babies causes tantrums in Germany

The new German reality television show ‘Adults on Trial’ features four teenage couples trying to cope with the responsibilities of caring for a baby – somebody else’s.

A new German reality television show in which teenagers will be filmed looking after babies "donated" for the programme has sparked outrage in Germany this month.

The show -- Adults on Trial -- is due to be launched in June and will feature four teenage couples who want to start a family grappling for four days with all the responsibilities of caring for a baby.

"Changing nappies, sleepless nights, screaming babies and a whole lot of responsibility ... are they really mature enough for the hardest job in the world -- having their own children?" asks the RTL channel which is screening the show.

But the programme has been widely criticised.

"Children are not guinea-pigs!" said the German parliament's commission for children in a statement, accusing RTL of "exploiting children in an irresponsible manner."

The commission said it was "urgently calling on RTL not to show the series and not to produce any more of this type of programme that endangers the development of children."

Germany's Federation for the Protection of Children said it was "furious" at the concept which put children at "high risk."

"Should defenceless babies pay the price because RTL wants to get the highest possible viewing figures and therefore the best advertising revenue?” said Paula Honkanen-Schoberth, the federation's head. “This is unacceptable for us."


Round-the-clock supervision

Child psychologists and doctors will monitor the babies “lent” to the teenagers for the programme around the clock, said RTL.

In addition, the real parents are in an adjacent house and can break off the "experiment" at any time, the channel said.

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