Demi Lovato Says Making "Child Star" Was 'Really Healing': 'Holding Space for My Younger Self' (Exclusive)

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"The whole journey was really healing for me," the singer tells PEOPLE of her recent Hulu documentary

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Demi Lovato in 'Camp Rock'; Demi Lovato at the 2024 Teen Vogue Summit

Demi Lovato is getting candid about being a child actor. 

The singer, 32, told PEOPLE at the Teen Vogue Summit on Saturday, Nov. 23 in Los Angeles that making her recent documentary Child Star was a "healing" experience. 

"The whole journey was really healing for me. Honoring the truth of my inner child was really healing for me," Lovato (who uses she/they pronouns) says. 

"Going back and acknowledging my struggles was honoring my inner child and holding space for my younger self... that didn't get to live a normal childhood in my younger years," she adds. 

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Demi Lovato attends Teen Vogue Summit 2024 on. Nov. 23, 2024 in Los Angeles

The documentary — which marks Lovato's directorial debut — sees her sitting down with other child actors, including Drew Barrymore, Kenan Thompson, Raven-Symoné and Alyson Stoner, in conversations about their experiences working in entertainment at a young age. 

Related: From JoJo Siwa's Coming Out to Kenan Thompson Getting Conned: Biggest Revelations from Demi Lovato's Child Star Documentary

Doing so, Lovato says, was "even more healing."

"It really created a sense of community and it made us feel less alone to share our experiences, even though we may have felt so isolated in them," she continues. "So I think being able to talk to the participants of the film really was encouraging and therapeutic for me."

The "La La Land" singer made her television debut in 2002's Barney and Friends ahead of her breakthrough role in the Disney Channel original movie Camp Rock. She went on to star in Camp Rock 2, Princess Protection Program, and the Disney Channel TV series Sonny with a Chance.

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Demi Lovato in 'Camp Rock'

Lovato tells PEOPLE that "being in front of the camera since I was seven years old" has created "so many issues for me, whether it be my self-esteem or body image issues."

"I have learned to have a healthier relationship with being on camera and just having acceptance over my body," she says. "But like anything, I've grown to have my boundaries with it and I protect myself when I can if I'm feeling insecure that day."

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As for advice for the current generation of young stars, Lovato says, "Don't make yourself smaller to make other people more comfortable. If using your voice is something that you're passionate about, speak and shout it from the rooftops. Don't be afraid to own your truth and just keep doing that."

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Demi Lovato speaks onstage during Teen Vogue Summit 2024 on Nov. 23, 2024 in Los Angeles

Child Star premiered on Hulu in September and "explores the highs and lows of growing up in the spotlight through the lens of some of the world's most well-known former child stars." The movie is co-directed by Lovato and Nicola Marsh. 

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In an August interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Lovato said she wants to keep her future daughter away from the entertainment industry until she is an adult so that she can have embrace her childhood.

"I'd say, 'Let's study music theory and prepare you for the day you turn 18, because it's not happening before that,' " she said. " 'Not because I don't believe in you or love you or want you to be happy, but because I want you to have a childhood, the childhood that I didn't have.' "

Child Star is now streaming on Hulu.

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