I heard a rumor recently that Justin Bieber’s voice has changed. Apparently, he can no longer sing “Baby” in concert the way that it was written.

Although my first reaction was to applaud Usher’s live-in protégé for finally reaching manhood, I am also sad that I will no longer be able to sing along with him in my feminine mezzo-alto voice.

Beyond those thoughts, I have begun to ponder the recent rise of young celebrities. It could be argued that Michael Jackson and Shirley Temple set the precedent for kids as pop culture icons, but I still wonder if it is actually normal that children are showing up on the cover of magazines other than Seventeen or TeenBop.

There’s a part of me that completely embraces this trend. After all, I like “Baby” and “One Less Lonely Girl” just as much as the rest of you closet Bieber fans. Not to mention that my new jam is Disney Channel’s Selena Gomez singing “You are the thunder, I am the lightning” or whatever the heck (I will refrain from profanity in an article about minors) her lyrics are.

The other part of me just doesn’t get it. I don’t understand why Bieber has to have a “swagger coach” (no, that is not a joke) – why can’t we just let kids be kids? I don’t understand why Miley Cyrus has to pole dance. I don’t understand why my idol growing up (Lindsay Lohan in “The Parent Trap”) has to rob stores, be a lesbian and snort cocaine. Name for me one kid celebrity that hasn’t gone completely off the deep-end.

My solution? Ban all child roles in movies. Okay, not really.

I just sort of wonder what it says about our society that we  (myself especially included) admire these children and pathetic versions of adults. When there is so much to pay attention to and talk about in our own lives, why do we turn to screw-ups? (Again, I chose a milder version of the word I would have used). There are too many incredible adults, professors, professionals and people worth looking up to that these children in Hollywood just aren’t worth it.

But that doesn’t mean I won’t buy Justin Bieber’s CD about life in a fraternity when it comes out.

Lauren Smart is a junior creative writing and journalism double major. She can be reached for comment at [email protected].