As a mass culture, toys and television give children a medium of communication. Author John Leonard, a respected literary and media critic, gives children the benefit of the doubt. They both grew up to be professionals. Kids learn pretty quickly that the medium is not to be trusted as any sort of reality. They develop a savvy about it.
Some kids can fall into the screen, but other things cause that.
Leonard is particularly irritated at politicians who use television as a scapegoat for social ills. Ohio State University Professor Mary Margaret Fonow, a sociologist, also disputes the notion that television turns children into victims. They're not that easily manipulated. Indeed, Fonow found television helpful as she reared son Ben, a recent graduate of Walnut Ridge High School. It's a way we bond.