The first statement in this testimony points out the need for groups to define "violence" before taking any action against violent television programs, since violence means different things to different people. Many of the studies on violence use a narrow and simplistic definition of violence which does not take into account the effects of violence on different individuals. For example, programs which portray emotional violence, rather than physical violence, have been found to be very upsetting to adolescents. Through discussing concepts of violence in home, school, and community, we can provide ourselves with a broader base for making decisions about our personal selection of programs, and we can encourage each other to communicate with local television stations, networks, and producers about broadcasts both good and bad. The second statement deals with ways in which parents can mediate the effects of television violence on their children. Parents can discuss with their children the television shows they watch, using them as starting points for discussions of moral and social issues. They can discuss the violence in television shows in an abstract way, in order to demystify violent shows and to help children become aware of the barrage of violence to which they are exposed. (GW)