Janet Jackson doesn't want her niece to start her showbiz career yet because "you're only a child once".

The 46-year-old singer is concerned about 14-year-old Paris' ambitions to become an actress and has advised her relative - the daughter of her late brother Michael Jackson - to enjoy her teenage years before starting work.

She said: "We've spoken about the fact that you're only a child once.

"I think there's a time for everything, and now is not the time [to act in films]. I told her I thought she should enjoy being a kid, possibly go to college or not, but wait until she turns 18.

She's a very tough, smart girl. But it's a cut throat industry. I wouldn't want my child to do it." Janet began her career as a child actress in the 70s starring in a number of TV shows, including 'Good Times', 'Different Strokes' and 'Fame', while Michael started his phenomenal ascent to become the King of Pop when he was just eight.

In December, Paris landed her first film role in 'Lundon's Bridge and the Three Keys'. The teenager had to convince her legal guardian, grandmother Katherine, to let her appear in the film - which will feature both real and animated characters - but managed to persuade her as she believes her late father would have appreciated the loving message of the film.

The movie will be based on a young adult series by Dennis H. Christen, about a dolphin turned into a human by ancient magic, a teenage boy who turns into a dragonfly and a jellyfish queen which morphs into an evil fairy godmother.

Paris has two brothers, Prince Michael, 15, and 10-year-old 'Blanket', whose real name is Prince Michael II.