Questioning Psychic Kids (they should have seen this coming)

Well, not really advice. I want your opinions on what you think of this
show: http://www.aetv.com/psychic-kids/ . Do you think this show is
potentially harmful to the children taking part? Do you think it's
possible they have some kind of extra-sensory perception that others don't?
What about their senses being more developed (or less squelched) because
they're children? Would you let your child be on this show? Do you think
the parents are exploiting their children or letting them have a rare
opportunity for fame? Finally, can you contrast your answers to the above
in re: to this show vs. the boy on Jesus Camp who was "saved" at age five
because he was looking for "something more from life" and wanted to become
an evangelist? Do you feel the experiences these children will have (being
on a psychic show and getting attention and recognition for that and being
an evangelist and getting attention and recognition for that) are different
or similar? If different, do you feel one is better than the other? Why
or why not?

Looking forward to your answers! I'd been meaning to ask some people about
this one and I think you two might be the perfect pair. I'm really not
being snarky at all, I'm genuinely interested in your answers.

Thank you so much for asking this. This should really make the conversations between my wife and I interesting.

According to what I've read so far, this show seems to be a combination of Ghost Hunters and Sylvia Brown. Ghost Hunters uses technology to try to find ghosts. Unfortunately, they don't seem to understand the technology they are using. This is very common in the "paranormal research" field. They use scientific equipment in an attempt to lend credence to their beliefs, but many who actually use the equipment for real world applications find the practice questionable (at best).

For instance, here's a video on the K2 meter. The K2 meter is an electromagnetic field (EMF) meter, that just senses electromagnetic fields in the vicinity. The video shows a gentleman who explains why the light jumps the way it does, with no need for ghosts.

Also, there's the electronic voice phenomena (EVP). EVP is the audible equivalent of paradolia. Record some white noise, listen real closely, and your mind will make the sounds fit something you want to hear. Here's a good post regarding EVP.

Anyway, if you do some research you will find that the way the equipment is being used, and their explanations for what is going on, don't concur with how the equipment actually works.

One of the first things I do when I check out a website (or show) about the paranormal is look for warning signs. Well, I went to the website you showed and the first thing I see is a video of the children being "instructed" on how to use the paranormal equipment. The instructor seems to word things in a way to influence the children.

"Some believe orb activity represents a basic spirit manifestation. That's one theory.
Flash orbs are probably the most common."

When someone uses the word theory, quite a few people associate it with the scientific term (i.e. the Theory of Gravity). However, the "orb activity" thing she talks about is a hypothesis that hasn't gained any ground since it was introduced.

Also, notice how she brushes over "flash orbs" before going on to explain EVP (don't get me started on that again). Flash orbs are when the flash reflects off dust particles in the air, and is the only theory that doesn't use conjecture. However, she doesn't explain that to the kids.

Now to the crux of your questions. As far as the children actually having the psychic powers, that would be impossible to tell from a TV show. Footage can be edited to show pretty much anything they want. However, the video clips of the childrens' "talents" has me skeptical. Looking at the video of Morgan, the first thing that jumped out at me was her cold reading (well, after the "crystals" and "energy" bit). After her psychic "analysis" she tells the woman that she found something wrong with her "brain", "top of her head", and "headaches". This was very vague, and open to interpretation. However, the woman being talked to had recently had surgery to remove something (benign) from the top of her head. To me, that throws the reading into the "shotgun" category. The girl gave three different options for what could be wrong, but what the woman cites is actually something that has already been remedied. The reason I called it a "shotgun" is she said three things but none of them were technically correct, but the person hearing it wasn't thinking critically enough. So, one of the three was on the paper, but still not in the scoring rings.

I don't have time to go through all of the videos, but judging by the sampling I have went through I can't find anything that says the children have any psychic abilities. This is after editing has been done to make it more palatable.

Now, as for being harmful, physically I would say no. Mentally, I think it's very detrimental. The parents, the producers, directors, and the other adults that are on the show with the children are enablers. Instead of having the children look critically at what they believe, the adults are encouraging them to just go with it. How can a child be expected to question things if no one else around them does?

There's no way I would put my daughter onto a show like this. Even if she showed some form of psychic ability, putting her on a TV show would make me feel like she was being exploited. Besides, if someone wanted credibility and money, they could take a test and get a million dollars. It would thicken the wallet and shake up the scientific community. However, the prize had been offered since 1964, so the chances of someone actually claiming it are looking pretty slim.

I've only seen bits and pieces of Jesus Camp, but the similarities between the Jesus Camp kid and the children on the show are interesting. Both are having delusions enabled, and encouraged to go on without questioning.

As for whether the parents are exploiting the kids, I think they are but I don't think they think they are. There are a large number of people who believe in these things, and it would give them some pride to think their child is capable of it. The worst I can say is the parents (and everyone else involved in the show) are guilty of ignorance.

These questions bring up some very interesting points, and thank you very much for asking them.