There is no doubt that the Harry Potter series has made a huge impact on the minds of children. The debate is on whether that impact has been positive or negative. On one side there is a group that says the book promotes good behavior through the main characters in the story. They go through tough situations but yet stand up for the truth and do things that are morally right. They say that this has a very positive influence on children. The other group states that the inclusion of witchcraft and dark elements in the book can expose young minds to the world of the occult, which could be a serious problem. They feel that there are better ways to teach morals to children than by dabbling with witchcraft.
Both groups seem to have valid points and it is necessary to hold open debate to come to a proper conclusion. Although we cannot say that there is any solid proof of the stories having a positive, moral influence on the minds of kids, there is abundant proof that these single series have had a profound influence on their reading habits, than any other book has had on this generation of kids. With the abundance of video games and the Internet, children have for a long time had entertainment through the electronic medium. But the Harry Potter series has been able to successfully reverse that trend.
Scores of children have been waned away from their electronic toys towards reading the Harry Potter books. Children even end up rereading these books as they grow up. This story has definitely had an immense impact of children’s reading habits. This factor perhaps needs to be taken into consideration when debating about the books’ influence on kids.