My desire to read an interesting children’s story from the newspaper while holding my son Pragyan in my lap on Sunday morning remained unfulfilled. Not a single article for children was featured in any major newspaper. Society tells children to read, but what does it give them to read? This editorial deeply attacks our newspapers’ neglect of children and demands that newspapers reserve regular space for children—so that childhood can connect with words, be nourished with compassion, and flourish with ideas.
It was a Sunday morning. I felt like holding my son, Pragyan, and we could both read an interesting story from the newspaper, so that he could experience the sweetness of words even in this modern screen age. But to my regretful surprise, I discovered that not a single story, comic, or children’s dialogue was available for children in the prestigious newspapers. The question born of this anguish demands collective reflection—”When we publish nothing for children in our newspapers, how can we expect them to read?”
Child’s mind: a blank page
Our education system, parents, and society all often unanimously declare that today’s children don’t read books. They’re lost in the world of mobile phones, Instagram, and gaming. But why doesn’t anyone ask what we’re giving them to read? Newspapers, once a part of every household’s morning routine, are now a complete “adult battlefield” for children, filled with political squabbles, accusations, and counter-accusations against politicians, rapes, murders, corruption, cricket, movies, and yoga tips. Where are the king’s words, elephant rides, science fiction, moon poetry, and short stories that teach life values?
When the children are not visible
In today’s newspapers, children “appear” in only two ways—
When a child is a victim of sexual violence or murder. Or when a child scores 99.9% in a board exam and becomes a media sensation. Can the experience of being a child be understood within such limited contexts? Newspapers have isolated children from society, forcing them into a silence where neither their creative voices are heard nor their inquisitive eyes are seen.
Absence of editorial foresight
The primary objective of any newspaper is to “create awareness in society and guide its thinking.” So why isn’t there a page dedicated to children, the foundation of society? Is today’s editor so busy that he doesn’t even remember that he has a responsibility to pass on the torch of values and ideas to the next generation? Once upon a time, newspapers included children in conversations through sections like “Bal Jagat,” “Bal Prabha,” “Bal Goshthi,” and “Bal Mail.” Today, these sections have either been discontinued or lost in the unfamiliar throng of online links.
The onslaught of advertising and marketing
Children today are not “consumers” for newspapers. They don’t buy shampoo or refrigerators. Therefore, in the language of the “market,” they have no “advertising value.” And where advertising language begins to dictate policy, childhood becomes meaningless.
Nearly 40% of every newspaper is filled with advertisements—real estate, clothing, coaching centers, hospitals, branded watches… nowhere does one see a newspaper asking, “What are we teaching children?”
When children’s literature disappears
Children’s literature isn’t just entertainment—it’s a primary school for children to think, question, imagine, and connect with society. A story about a tree bearing fruit, a bird building a nest, a child watering birds with a friend—these give children the seeds of humanity. When these stories are removed, all that remains is drama, sensationalism, and data. And this insensitivity is what breeds the next generation.
Is study and knowledge only the work of school?
Our society has outsourced children’s education solely to schools. Newspapers, once the “home school,” have now become “adult gossip.” Don’t children deserve news? Shouldn’t they be exposed to science, the environment, ethics, and society?
If we want children to become “sensible citizens,” then
We need to engage them with dialogue and questions from the very beginning – and newspapers can be a powerful place for this.
What can be done?
Weekly “Children’s Editions” should be reintroduced – with special sections for children every Sunday or twice a month. Children’s dialogues and comics should be included, covering moral values, scientific curiosity, and social issues. Children’s writing should be published – poems, drawings, questions, and ideas. Children’s journalism should be promoted – children should be asked to write at the school level, which should also be published. Inspirational “Children’s Heroes” should be featured – available beyond the screen.
Son Pragyan said to me that morning –
“Mom, doesn’t your newspaper have anything for children?”
I remained silent. This silence is not just that of a mother, but of an entire society. And since newspapers are a mirror of society, the innocent curiosity of millions of children like Pragyan must find a place in this mirror. If we want tomorrow’s India to be full of readers, writers, and sensitive citizens—
So, a page will have to be reserved for Pragyan in today’s newspapers also.
