Demi Lovato wants "protections" to be introduced for child stars.

The 32-year-old singer shot to stardom as a child, when she appeared on the TV series 'Barney and Friends', and Demi now believes that up-and-coming stars should be given more help and support.

In a trailer for a new documentary called 'Child Star', Demi says: "Everyone wanted to make it in the industry at a young age."

The 'Cool for the Summer' hitmaker confessed to having serious concerns about the wellbeing of young stars.

Demi - who has previously struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction - said: "It just scares me to hear that these kids are making tens of millions of dollars.

"There have to be protections put in place."

Demi previously claimed that the world has entered a "new era of child stardom".

The pop singer has directed the 'Child Star' documentary and she's determined to provide some "insight" into the issue.

Demi told PEOPLE: "I want this to give some insight into what it's like to become a child performer, whether it's acting or through music, but in the entertainment industry because my parents didn't get that before I was a child star."

Demi believes her own parents never really understood the pressures of child stardom.

However, Demi also acknowledged that social media has changed the landscape for young stars.

The singer - who suffered a near-fatal drug overdose back in 2018 - said: "It's also important because we're now in the digital age with TikTok, YouTube and social media where children are becoming famous for unboxing toys, and it's a new era of child stardom. So having that conversation is important as well."