Who'd be famous? Not me, thanks

The top three career aspirations for British 5 to 11-year-olds are sports star, pop star and actor. It seems everyone wants to be famous.

I don't. Celebrities are hounded day and night by fans and the paparazzi. They can't casually go to the park or to a restaurant. From the moment they step outside their front door, stars must perform.

Fame means riches, designer clothes and expensive cars. It also means no more privacy. The media have no sympathy for people on the other side of the camera lens, so it's time the public did.

To us, celebrities seem like the luckiest people alive. They earn millions of dollars and masses of adoring fans for doing what they love.

With lives of luxury it's easy to assume that being gossipped about and photographed is a small price to pay, but they deserve privacy.

We all make mistakes in life but celebrities have theirs splashed over the front pages of every magazine. Fans too readily forget stars are only human; that behind the make-up and glamour they aren't that different.

Social media such as Twitter help break down the barriers between famous and normal people. Media should be trying to do this as well rather than only printing scandal. The information spread about celebrities needs to be limited, because most of what we read is sheer gossip.

It's not informative news, or relevant to global issues, but is purely to entertain.

The media should be less harsh and give celebrities more privacy so they can separate their private and working lives. It isn't necessary for the world to know what kind of sandwich Justin Bieber had for lunch. Or that Taylor Swift was caught wearing sweat pants at the grocery store.

The media focus so much attention on celebrities that fame is not just a career anymore, it's a lifestyle. Stardom is a package deal. With the fortune and fans come harassment and publicity. Although celebrities have to deal with all of this they shouldn't be constantly hounded by paparazzi.

We bring celebrities into our lives through the stereo and TV screen. It's easy for fans to feel close to celebrities because there is unlimited access to them through the media. However, after the curtains go down stars deserve as much privacy as you or me.

Celebrities are there for our entertainment, but that doesn't give us the right to know everything about them.

Mikaela Wilkes, Year 10, Taradale High School