Life&Style writer Caitlin Rock examines the public pressures faced by child star, Millie Bobby Brown.
Content warning: mention of self-harm and suicide.
Since the days of Jackie Coogan and Shirley Temple in the early 20th century, child stardom has been a constant in Hollywood and the media. With the rise of social media, the public’s ability to comment on the lives and appearances of young celebrities has amplified to a worrying degree.
A 2025 study found that 58% of students have been victim to cyber bullying at some point in their lives, which proves this problem is not just faced by celebrities. Unfortunately, growing up with millions of eyes on her, Millie Bobby Brown faces this scrutiny to an exacerbated degree. Brown’s first role was young Alice in Once Upon A Time in Wonderland (2013), followed by her portrayal of Eleven in Stranger Things (2016-2025) at just 12 years old. Over the course of these nine years, Brown’s life has been extremely eventful: she starred as the protagonist in Netflix’s Enola Holmes (2020), married Jake Bongiovi and adopted a daughter. Brown has grown up over the course of Stranger Things’ airing, all whilst spotlighted and observed.
Millie Bobby Brown faces this scrutiny to an exacerbated degree
Brown has faced constant public opinion and scrutiny for majority of her life. A stand-out example of this is the sequence of Daily Mail articles commenting on how ‘poorly’ the actor was aging following her red-carpet appearance for the 2025 premiere of The Electric State (2025).
Titles such as ‘what HAS Millie Bobby Brown done to her face?’ stand out for their blatant and uncalled for cruelty, so harsh it provoked a direct response from Brown herself. In a video response released on 4th March 2025, Brown calls out these articles by name, stating that ‘this isn’t journalism, this is bullying’. Despite this, responses to the release of Stranger Things’ fifth and final season have largely consisted of conversation around possible cosmetic changes to the now 21-year-old’s appearance. One TikTok video among many on this topic comments that ‘Millie Bobby Brown has definitely had lip fillers’. Proof of this claim comes only from analysis of her appearance, primarily that her lip shape has changed from when she was 17. From when she was a child four years ago.
At what point does the ability for us to publicly comment on anything make us think we have the right to?
This isn’t journalism. This is bullying
A study by Swansea University found that ‘children and young people under 25 who are victims of cyberbullying are more than twice as likely to self-harm and enact suicidal behaviour’, suggesting a link between online bullying and poor mental health. This is specifically amongst young people who are not fully equipped to deal with such interrogation of their personhood. This interrogation is amplified by millions, so you can imagine how child stars become victimised.
In a November 2025 interview with British Vogue, Brown reflects on the reporting over her appearance, she states: ‘I was depressed for three, four days. I was crying every day’. It is abundantly clear that those commenting on her appearance never considered the possibility that it would get back to her, or they did not care if it did. Alternatively, some may have wanted it to get back to Brown, as they felt they had the right to nitpick her appearance and offer their own opinions on how she could look ‘younger’ or ‘better’.
Brown will likely never be free of demands on her appearance
It is upsetting to assume that people are acting with malice when they cause upset, but the fact of the matter is that we know our words have the power to hurt people. So, if we are putting our words out on the internet for all to read, surely there is some desire to impact the people we are criticising.
Raised by the spotlight, it is clear as day how Millie Bobby Brown’s life has been heavily impacted and influenced by comments online. Perhaps she has undergone plastic surgery, but is that our place to speculate? Some might assume any cosmetic procedures Brown might have had are a shield against comments on her appearance, rather than an invitation for more. As a child star, public figure and woman, Brown will likely never be free of demands on her appearance, but we can only hope that her outspokenness on this topic will help facilitate more compassion towards her and the young people that follow in her footsteps.
Looking for more? Check out these articles
Millie Bobby Brown’s Engagement: Why Age Shouldn’t Matter
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