Jada Pinkett Smith defends Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift against media treatment

Jada Pinkett Smith has compared the harsh media treatment of Justin Bieber to cyber-bullying after Bieber came under criticism for threatening to beat up an overzealous paparazzo in London.

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The teenage superstar made headlines for all the wrong reasons recently after becoming engaged in a foul-mouthed altercation with a photographer who had complained about being shoved out of the way by Bieber as the singer dashed from his hotel to a waiting car, but Pinkett Smith, whose son Jaden has been supporting the pop star on his European tour, has come to the 19-year-old's defense with a lengthy post on her Facebook page, saying she has found it difficult to "differentiate cyber-bullying from how we attack and ridicule our young stars through media and social networks."

The actress does not name names in the message, but it's clear that she's referring to Bieber's recent troubles with the press as she writes, "It is as if we have forgotten what it means to be young or even how to behave like good ol' grown folk. Do we feel as though we can say and do what we please without demonstrating any responsibility simply because they are famous? Is it okay to continually attack and criticize a famous 19-year-old who is simply trying to build a life, exercise his talents while figuring out what manhood and fame is all about as he carries the weight of supporting his family as well as providing the paychecks to others who depend on him to work so they can feed their families as well?"

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She also draws attention to controversial comments recently aimed at confident "Beasts of the Southern Wild" child star Quvenzhané Wallis and singers Taylor Swift and Rihanna, whose love lives are frequently a hot topic in the tabloids.

Pinkett Smith continues, "What about our nine year old beautiful Oscar nominee who was referred to as a c--- as well? Or what about being a young woman in her early twenties, exploring the intracacies (sic) of love and power on the world stage? And should we shame a young woman for displaying a sense of innocence as she navigates through the murky waters of love, heartbreak, and fame? Are these young people not allowed to be young, make mistakes, grow, and eventually transform a million times before our eyes? Are we asking them to defy the laws of nature because of who they are? Why can't we congratulate them for the capacity to work through their challenges on a world stage and still deliver products that keep them on top. We WISH we could have had the capacity to accomplish HALF of what they have accomplished along with ALL these challenges they face. But ... maybe THAT'S the problem ... we WISH we could have or even ... we WISH we could."