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<title> The Influence of Violence on TV </title>
Today, in Sweden as well as many other countries, the sight or the use of violence are included in the everyday life of young people. It is claimed that there is a connection between violence on TV and violent behaviour of children and teenagers. It is quite clear that violent TV programmes have a certain impact on young people, but the violence in the society of today cannot be blamed on television alone. 
	Every day crimes are committed by teenagers, and the crimes are often of violent type. Nobody can give a complete explanation of how this can be the case, since the problem is very complex and many aspects have to be taken into account. Still, there are theories that deal both with the different causes and solutions to the problem. 	
	One theory claims that TV violence is the cause of young people's excessive use of violence. This theory presupposes that children and teenagers are easily influenced by what they see on TV, and especially sequences containing violence. It implies that the young viewers lack the ability of distinguishing between reality and fiction. Furthermore, the violence that seems to have an impact on young people, is usually not very realistic. In a film the case can be that the baddie rises and runs off although he has been beaten ten times in the face and recieved five kicks in the stomach, while the goodie brushes the dirt off his hands and walks off the other direction without showing any feelings of guilt. Watching this kind of violence, but also realistic and grisly violence shown on news programs, may dull the viewers. In other words, they get used to see inhuman actions, they lose their sense of right and wrong, and do not react to violence in a normal way. 
	Obviously this theory has its weeknesses. A 17-year-old can hardly claim to confuse reality and fiction, that rather applies to young children. It is more likley that a teenager do not realise the actual consequences of his or her actions if he or she puts into practice what has been viewed on TV. 
	Still, most people, children and teenagers as well as adults have a mental barrier against the usage of violence, which is not removed by the watching of TV violence. The violence in films and TV programmes does not entice everyone out on the streets to try the tricks themselves. Accordingly, the violent behaviour of some young people cannot be blamed TV violence alone.
	Obviously, TV can only influence those who watch it. Ideally, no children would be exposed to things that can affect them in a bad way. Of course that is not possible, especially not today when television is used extensively as a means of babysitter. As a consequence, children watch things on TV which they are not mature enough to handle. Still, most small children are scared by the realistic violence on TV, and do not want to watch it. Still, violence is frequntly used in cartoons which are meant for children, and the violence is represented as funny. This can give children a misleading picture of what violence really is. 
	When it comes to teenagers, it is no longer possible to put the blame on the parents or the creators of the children's programmes. Teenagers are old enough to choose themselves what they want to see. Naturally, teenagers who like to watch violence are more influenced than those who choose not to watch it. Generally speaking, this means that a person is able to choose whether he or she wants to be affacted or not. Of course the fact that some people are easier affected than others cannot be left out. It might even be in the nature of a specific individual to be aggressive and violent, and what he or she sees on TV simply brings about a behaviour which otherwise should have been brought about by something else. It is more likely, though, that violent films mostly attract ordinary, non-violent people because the violence is made interesting and exciting with professional stunts.
	The fact that violence is common in both children's programmes and programmes for adults must have a reason. Most people can see quite much and rough violence on TV before they consider it revolting. This conclusion is that violence is an attracting quality of a film, and it will be used by film makers regardless of the influence it might have on its viewers.
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