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<title> Locking Out Violence </title>
Essay: The media flow into our everyday life is increasing day by day. We are offered more TV-channels and more programmes then ever before. Most families have as many as ten channels that offer transmissions day and night. Contemporanesouly with this violence is getting more space in the tableau. It sneaks in everywhere. In children's programmes and music videos as well as in the news and prime time films and series. At the same time, the violence in society is getting rawer and the offenders are getting younger. Twelve-year-olds assault other twelve-year-olds to get their hands on a few kronor and children are killed in violent games. Is there a connection between the increasing amount of violence on television and the violence in society? In this essay I will discuss this issue, with the article summarised above used as a springboard. I will discuss what effect TV violence has on the viewers, who is effected and if different programmes have different impacts. The discussion will be based on the situation as it is in Sweden today.
There are two main views on what effect TV violence has on its viewers. On one side are those who claim that people exposed to much TV violence develop a violent behaviour much due to blunting and fascination. On the other side are those who believe in the Catharsis theory. They claim that watching violence is a way of giving vent to your aggressions. In other words, that those who watch violence get less aggressive. I claim that both of these views are simplifying the problem. Watching violence does not make a person aggressive nor does it make him or her less aggressive. It can however trigger behaviour or a feeling. An already uneasy person may get even more anxious and a violent, aggressive person may be inspired by the violence.
I believe that everyone gets affected, one way or another, if exposed to a great amount of TV violence. How deeply you get affected depends on age, background and social situation. 
Little children are more sensitive to all forms of influences and have a tendency to imitate behaviour they have seen. They have not yet developed a sense of difference between reality and fiction and might get an incorrect notion of the results of real violence. Older children are less effected by TV violence. Although they sometimes imitate violent actions they have seen on television, they have a stronger notion about what is real and what is fiction.
How you apprehend the violence you are exposed to through television is, as mentioned above, also depending on your background and social situation. Children who live in unsafe home environments are more easily effected than children from safe home environments are. A person who has been taught that violence is a good way to solve problems might get this confirmed by a film or a series in which the hero defeats his enemy by using violence. Another problem for children with an unsafe home environment is that they do not have anyone to talk with about what they have seen. Therefore, they can neither get an outlet for their fears and emotions nor any answers to their questions, through conversation with an adult. Instead, they turn back to the television screen in search for answers, which in return expose them to more violence. In the end, they know of no other way to solve their problems than by using violence. They have been caught in a negative circle. Researches made by Inga Sonesson1 shows that violent children turns to violent TV-programmes which in return make them even more violent.
Sonesson's research also shows that TV violence has different impact on its viewers depending on in which context it is presented. Programmes made for adult viewers have a deeper impact on children and young people than children's programmes, even if they contain the same amount of violence. Violence in news programmes is seen as the most frightening form, but also as a form that can be justified to watch. When watching violence in news programmes children hopefully, learn to feel that violence is wrong. It can also provide a sense of empathy for the victims whereas violence in entertainment programmes rather teaches the children to sympathise with the strongest character at the expense of the weaker ones. 
Most important for how violence is interpreted is however the context outside of the television. Children who watch the programmes with their parents feel safer than those who watch by themselves. The parents are there to protect them and can explain why things happen. Last but not least, if the parents are present when the children watch TV they are able to control what they watch. That way, you will never risk that your children are exposed to unhealthy programmes.
	As I have mentioned earlier, I believe that watching too much violence has a negative effect. Especially on children and young people, the younger child the more damage. Although I believe that TV-violence has some connection with the fact that violent-crime-offenders are getting younger and younger, I do not believe that it is the most important factor. The environment in which the child is brought up, both within and outside the family is without doubt the primary component. Nevertheless, in an unsafe environment there is a greater risk that the child are exposed to and influenced by an unhealthy amount of TV violence. The best way of protecting the children from being negatively affected by the TV violence is for the parents to be good rolemodels, i.e. to do other things together than watching TV. Parents should avoid using the TV as a baby-sitter. A present parent while the children watch TV make the children feel safer and the parent aware of what the children are exposed to. Unfortunately, not all families have the possibility to work like this. Therefore, some measures must be taken by society. One thing that can be done is to provide good, exiting and entertaining children's programmes on public service television. In order to prevent that children watch unhealthy shows on other channels (were they on top of that are exposed to commercials). A few years ago SVT1 showed the news just before the children's programme, this was criticised by parents, which resulted in the news being moved to SVT2. I believe this was a step in the right direction. 	
1 C. Von Feilitzen, M. Forsman, K. Roe (red.) Våld från alla håll (1993)s49ff.
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