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<title> Parental Responsibility Concerning Television </title>
Just as most Swedish people I am a frequent TV-viewer and a frequent receiver of violent impressions. Even though what I am exposed to sometimes upsets me I know that it is fiction or in some cases pictures from war scenes. Sadly this is not the case for everyone. I can only speak for myself and I believe that my security and ability to distinguish between what is reality and what is not was set as a child. My parents used to discuss and explain what I didn't understand after watching a TV program. They spent time with me and I consider this to be extremely important. I fear that the relation between parents and their children is going in the wrong direction. There is a rapidly growing distance between parent and child in our country. Maybe it is due to work and social status nowadays are being highly valued. Family life today is more about where you spend your holidays or what car you drive than the actual time you spend together as a family. Bearing this in mind the proposal of a V-chip gives me the feeling of slackness, as if busy workers can put their children in front of the TV and let it act as a nanny. All grownups and parents in particular have a responsibility, not only to protect the little ones from violence on TV but also to spend time with them reading, listening to music and playing games. I believe that this is crucial in a child's upbringing and in his or hers development of language. Children need to be stimulated in various ways. TV should only be a supplement to a family's ingenuity and not be a part of the daily routine. 

Unfortunately TV as a supplement to the upbringing can indeed be harmful to kids. When they are left alone without supervision they might not understand everything they watch. Children very often misunderstand violence in particular. Some are not aware of the difference between reality and fiction. Kids get confused and with nobody to talk to the confusion remains. In this case the V-chip might be a solution to control the violence on TV. It is very important, though, to keep in mind that this is not an overall answer to the problem. Each individual must make his or her own decisions according to the situation. Some parents devote time to their children, and this is what I think everybody should strive for, but for those who don't have the time the V-chip could be very suitable. Every human needs to feel responsibility to become responsible. Therefore it is not in the hands of the government to regulate violence on TV; it is up to us to find our own solution. Different broadcasters also decide whether to show violence or not, and the viewers decide if they want to watch it. If they do not, eventually the broadcasters will have to do something about it. It is easy to see how this works, by the simple supply and demand factor. Once again, it is not for the government to decide what is to be shown on TV, this decision is ours.

Perhaps my reflections upon this matter give you the feeling that I am totally against TV. But there are actually some good shows for kids, like for example Björnes Magasin that I very much recommend. This show is not only amusing and easy to understand but also very informative. I have the feeling that the number of programs for children on TV has decreased in the last couple of years. Perhaps it is more common now that even young kids watch soap operas like Skilda Världar and Tre kronor. This is a very alarming trend. I don't think a six-year-old is mature enough to understand the different aspects of the story, such as infidelity, jealousy, vengeance and greed. Do parents really allow their kids to watch this? Or don't they have the time to bother? I don't know. Sometimes I suppose that they are not aware of their responsibility, and that they believe broadcasters to show appropriate programs. Well, obviously I don't think they do. Therefore I consider it is about time that we all made an effort to show children the real world of books, music and nature not only should they know about the TV world.
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