There is no evidence that violent video films directly trigger violent behaviour among young viewers, a British Government report has found.

However, the report, which is due to be published towards the end of next week, does find that young people who are violent criminals are more likely to enjoy violence on screen.

The study, which has been leaked by Britain's Independent newspaper, was commissioned after the 1993 case of James Bulger - the two-year-old who was killed by two ten-year old boys. At the trial of the boys, the presiding judge made comments about 'Child's Play' - a violent video film which the young killers were said to have watched often.

The new report, by psychologists at Birmingham University, was based on a two-year observation of 122 young men who volunteered to watch violent videos.

The key findings overturn previous research which suggests film violence stimulates real violence. The new study finds that a taste for violent films is more likely to be linked to the general social effects of poverty.

The report concludes that both a history of family violence and criminal behaviour are necessary preconditions for a person to develop a significant preference for violent films.

The films shown to the young men were not 'video-nasties' - unlicensed and uncensored films - but were mainstream films which are regularly hired from British video-shops, including Bad Boys, Licence to Drive, Last Gasp and ID.

During viewing the subjects remained passive. Afterwards, some admitted trying to imitate a film's dialogue, but none said they had copied violent behaviour.

Four months after viewing, only three of the 122 claimed to have been influenced by what they had seen. Six months later all respondents said they were unaffected by the films.
 

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