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<title> Television as a baby-sitter or a joint parent-child event? </title>
In the article "Locking out violence", by Ginia Bellafante, there is a discussion about how to protect young viewers from watching violence on television. In this essay, I would like to discuss this issue further in different aspects and I will do that from a Swedish point of view. 
	In today's television program there are a great deal of violence, and since there is at least one television set in nearly every home, many children might be affected. Of course there are various levels of violence. Firstly, we have all violent movies, which have unwarrantably much violence. Secondly, there is a great deal of violence on the news and on the "soaps", and these programs are sent at a time when children often sit in front of the television. Finally, we have the cartoons that also contain violence. But I do think that children are able to notice the difference between this kind of violence and so-called real violence. 
Whose responsibility is it then, to protect children from seeing all this violence? Is it up to those who are producing the programs or is it up to the parents? Maybe it is a combination of both, but I am of the opinion that the main responsibility belongs to the parents. There are many parents who use the television as a "baby-sitter". I myself do it sometimes, even though I swore I would never do it. But that was before I had children of my own. It is an opportunity for us parents to have a moment to our selves and it is rather safe to let the children watch for example Björnes Magasin. But when the children are looking at other kinds of program, for example Lilla Aktuellt, it is good if an adult can look at it too. That is so the adult can answer on questions that the child might ask on things he or she does not understand. 
In the above-mentioned type of children programs, it is the producer who has the responsibility for there not being any violence in them. I, as a parent, should be able to trust their judgement in this issue. In all other respects it is the parents who have the entire responsibility. In the previous mentioned article, which was written in the United States, it is mentioned that a kind of control system perhaps is needed. This system should give the parents a possibility to control what the children are watching when they are at home alone. I do not see this solution as necessary in Sweden, because here younger children are not exposed to this loneliness in any larger extent. At that time of day, when violent "trash movies" are shown, younger children should have company in the house. Maybe I reason like this because I have rather young children and we have only channel one, two and four. In these channels they do not show violence in daytime. Perhaps I should reason differently if we have had a cable television. I do not know how carefully these cable channel select their programs and on which time they sent what. 
However, there is one thing that irritates me on channel one, two and four, and that is the introductory announcements to program for adults, which are shown in connection to children programs. This often leads to a large debate in our home about whether our children should look on a certain program or not. It would be easier for us adults if these announcements would be sent on a later time, because then the children would never be curious about it and the conflict would be avoided.
To sum up, I would like to go back to what I started this essay with, namely how to protect our children from violence on television. My solution to this problem is; if you do not know what kind of program your children are watching - join them. If you notice that the program is inappropriate you will be able to stop the watching in time, and if the program is child friendly there is no problem. But it can really be an interesting experience to look on a program through a child's eye. And what is even more important is that you are doing something together with your children and taking part actively and set up limits - and this is what parenthood is all about.
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