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<title> Television violence and our children </title>
In the article, Television- Locking out violence, written by Ginia Bellafante in TIME Magazine, 24-07-1995, a new technology is brought up to discussion, called the V chip. The chip is installed in the television set and is supposed to be encoded on different scales of violence occurring in television programmes. The purpose with the V chip is for parents to be able to choose the level of violence that they want to be shown on their telly. Programmes with a higher level of violence are automatically deleted. But is the V chip a solution to prevent children from watching violent programmes? I will below present what Swedish children watch on television and whether there are any effects or not.
According to a poll, made by "Hem och Skola och Våldsskildringsområdet", that is called "Television - ally or enemy"1996, Swedish children do not watch television as much as we might think. On average, children between the age of three and eleven, watch television or video for one hour and forty-five minutes a day. Older children watch television a little bit more than younger children do. 

When children look at television they mostly see children's programmes and entertainment programmes. Six years old children do not watch warnography very much, apart from what occurs in cartoons. Soap opera's are also very popular, like for instance Rederiet or Beverly Hills. After the age of ten children start to watch adult emphasised movies, for example Red Indian movies. But they still watch children- and youth programmes, and family programmes of different kinds.
However, seventy percent of six years old and eighty-two percent of ten years old children do often watch the news at 6 p.m. while they are waiting for the children's programme to begin. I think there is two ways of looking at the issue whether it is good or bad for young children to watch news programmes. One way is that the children are too small to be confronted by that kind of information and horrid pictures. The second is that children should watch news to learn how the reality is, but adults should sit with them and give explanations. 

Sveriges Television and TV 4 have an agreement with the State, which among other things amounts to be careful with violence in broadcasting. When it comes to broadcasting of news and trailers there is an ambition to be extra careful early in the evening in connection with children's programmes. Those laws that concern TV-channels are laws in the county that the programme is broadcasting from. Therefore does Swedish law not compromise TV 3, which is broadcasting from Great Britain.

The absolutely best protection from the negative effects of television, is in my opinion parents who understands that there is a need to protect their children from TV- and video violence. That they can explain for the children things that the latter ones do not understand and that they can discuss and argue with their youths. It is important that children and youths learn to construe and analyse the messages that they get through television. Therefore should the school take some responsibility for that pupils learn to control media as a way for communication and as means of expressions for their own creativity. Experiments shows that by getting own experiences from video-production, pupils have gained a greater understanding for both positive and negative effects of media's.
Since Sweden already have functioning agreements with networks to limit television violence, I see no need to introduce the V chip in Sweden. I do not think that the chip is the solution to prevent children from looking at violent programmes. I only see it as a way to shirk one's responsibility. Our parental responsibility is to set limits for our children to live after, and see to that they do not oppose adults. They need to be trusted of being able to follow rules that have been put up by their parents. Neither can I see how a chip can be able to select what is being good or bad effects on a child. Therefore I think it is better to as a parent watch television together with the children.
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