[Z]

I don't think it's fair to prohibit them. I'd much rather see a ten year old girl live her dream rather than waste away the next six years of school wishing she could be a singer until she could actually compete in a competition, if such an age restriction was put in place. I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages; a talented ten year old may well get signed up by a company and dropped again; but they still have to complete their education so it's not the end of the world for them if it goes pear shaped within two years. If it doesn't, then the kid's clearly going to be successful, you know? I was annoyed that they put Hollie through on what was basically a sympathy vote, but she proved her worth in the final, and there have been so many talented children on the show that it's hard to argue against; but I think kids benefit from the 'cute' factor, which is highly unfair to the adults competing in these shows.