<p>Philip Pullman, the Whitbread award-winning author of His Dark Materials, has condemned children&#39;s television as &#39;social poison&#39;, treating its audience as marketing opportunities while portraying them as dangerous and feral, reports the Guardian.</p><p>Pullman castigated broadcasters for sacrificing high-quality programmes in favour of those that yield more marketing opportunities. &#39;Children are regarded by broadcasters as a marketing opportunity at best, a dangerous and feral threat at worst, and an expensive nuisance otherwise,&#39; Pullman said. &#39;This social poison goes much deeper than broadcasting, of course, but it&#39;s particularly visible there.<br /></p>