Children are the persons most vulnerable to television violence. To test the concepts that a violent parent is a danger, that television is a violent parent, and therefore, that television is a danger, the authors conducted on-camera interviews with a distinguished First-Amendment attorney, a psychiatrist with an international reputation in mass hypnosis, the former host of a nationally syndicated children's television show, a police commander specializing in juvenile crime, several California educators, the main homicide prosecutor of San Francisco, and law enforcement personnel. Telephone interviews with experts in the field of youth violence supplemented these interviews. The participants noted that television has a hypnotic power, creating a fantasy world in which pain and death are as trivial as the escapades of cartoon characters. They also agreed that censorship is unlikely to offer solutions, whereas regulations of time, place, and manner of presentation do not conflict with the First Amendment. Education of parents, day care providers, family counselors, screenwriters, and politicians are all needed. The ultimate defense to television as a violent parent, which is neglectful if not abusive, is a self-empowered child. 12 references