Is Kate Gosselin treating her kids like meal tickets? Child-labor probe underway

Kate Gosselin's new reality show, Kate Plus 8, is under investigation for possible child-labor law
violations. According to Pennsylvania state law, the show did not get appropriate permits to film
Gosselin's sextuplets, who are underage. (Photos/KatePlus8 Facebook)

Kate Gosselin's new reality show, Kate Plus 8, is in danger of losing six of its cast members if producers don't work out a deal for a child-labor law issue raised by a Pennsylvania lawmaker.

According to Republican Congressman Thomas Murt, Pennsylvania law doesn't allow children under the age of 7 to work on television without special permits.

Kate's sextuplets -- Aaden, Alexis, Collin, Hannah, Joel and Leah -- just turned 6 in May 2010, making them ineligible for filming, says Murt. Interestingly, the applicable labor law allows children under the age of 7 to work on movies.

DO REALITY TV SHOWS HARM KIDS?

Gosselin's new tv show, Kate Plus 8, is filmed at her home in Wernersville, Pa., and follows Kate, 35, as she navigates the challenges of raising 8 children as a single mom. Kate became famous in 2008, after she and ex-husband Jon were featured on the hit TLC reality show Jon and Kate Plus 8. 

"As I read the law, permits for children under age 7 are available for performing in a movie, but to participate in a television show," Rep. Murt said.

Murt has previously expressed his concern as a parent and a certified teacher about the potential for children to be exploited, specifically in reality tv shows, due to outdated child labor laws.

Reality TV shows like Kate's program frequently film up to 14 hours a day for 3-4 months at a time to produce one season. Some experts have questioned whether filming young children and televising their daily lives can damage them psychologically and emotionally.

DOES REALITY TV GLAMORIZE HAVING CHILDREN IN LITTERS?

There are also concerns that "glamorizing" mothers of multiple children by putting them on tv can indirectly encourage some people to purposely have litters of kids in order to get famous or rich, as many have accused the Octomom, Nadya Suleman, of doing when the single, unemployed California woman gave birth to octuplets in 2009.

“To put it bluntly, reality TV is not reality," Murt said. "With the advent of reality television programs, we believe we need to look hard at child-labor laws, to make sure children who participate in reality television programs are protected."

During the Industrial Revolution, children as young as four were employed in production factories with dangerous working conditions. As a result of legislative reform, many wealthy nations now consider child labor a human rights violation.

Kate, whose main source of income are her reality TV programs, has often been criticized for treating her children like meal tickets and not being a more hands-on parent. [see slideshow below]

Kate Plus 8, which first premiered on July 11, airs Sundays on TLC.

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