'Lord of the Flies' in 'Kid Nation'

In a 13-part reality series scheduled to begin in September, 40 children were challenged to create their own society, without adults, in a New Mexico ghost town. Aged 8 to 15, they sometimes worked as many as 14 hours a day. Was it good clean fun that made for entertaining TV or child neglect and endangerment? Kid Nation was filmed without permits from state authorities, but all the parents signed 22-page, confidential releases. The kids will be paid, but CBS says they were not really "employees," so they weren't subject to child-labor laws. Saying the issue was moot because he found out after filming was over when he found out, Attorney General Gary King has reopening his investigation after troubling safety complaints from parents. Mark Andrejevic, professor of communication studies at the University of Iowa, is author of Reality TV: The Work of Being Watched.