Talking to children of any race or creed, one quickly realises that children are influenced by the media. Arguments continue as to just how much of children's behaviour is as a result of media influence. Teenage violence, child sexual promiscuity and the like are often blamed on the media's "negative" influences. 

It is important to acknowledge the influence of media on all people, because children are people too. The view that children simply imbibe media content without processing is misleading because the assumption made isa that children are basically moronic and "tabula rasa"-empty slates upon which any person can write whatever information they please. This is not quite the truth, children are living beings and they grow everyday. Children have opinion, basic life views and even some rudimentary philosophy based upon the information they receive, reject and otherwise process.

My view is that there is a "push-pull" relationship between media providers and children of all ages. I other words media researchers find out what attracts children and then begin invent programmes to fill the felt and expressed needs of the world's children. It is a matter of emphasising what children fantasize upon and creating programme content that expresses the characters of this fantasy world. Cinderella, for example appeals to little girls who empathise with the rejected girl who suddenly rises to stardom. In every culture there are such "Cinderella" characters with whom children relate. 

Superman-like characters appeals to children's desire for infinite security and boys desire to wield super-power over their environment. The gadgets in these super-hero movies are also exciting and appealing to children. Hence, super-hero filme and comics will be attractive and commercially lucrative. Hollywood loves money and children's fantasies are quite a money spinner. Children's view of violence varies from child to child and from environment to environment. It is a well studied fact that child-soldiers are particularly effective because they can disconnect quite easily from the sufferings of their victims. Video games that are violent are quite simply the safe way of being such a child soldier. The death and destruction of enemies is unfelt and children love this power they experience.

The debate, therefore, should target both children and media producers. This macabre relationship of media-junkie and pusher should be analysed and re-invented so that children's negative desires and fantasies are not exploited by the media houses. It is time to emphasise the good and downplay the bad.