KEY POINTS:
Some teenagers think killing is fun and easy, and others say they want to hijack a car or drive at speed after playing video and computer games such as Grand Theft Auto and Grand Turismo.
The findings come from a study which found that 64 per cent of young people had been influenced in the way they thought after watching a movie or playing a game.
Another 24 per cent said their actions were influenced in some way.
The report surveyed 460 students, mostly 15-, 16- and 17-year-olds, to see what kinds of entertainment forms they were using, what influenced their movie and playing decisions and how they were affected by them.
The students were more negatively influenced by games than movies.
Teenagers commenting on the popular R18 PlayStation game Grand Theft Auto made comments like "crimes are easy", "made me think of violence and how to do it to people for no specific reason", "it was tempting to steal/hijack a car", "how easy it is to kill", and "killing was fun" after playing the game. One teen said they wanted to "became a stuntman" after watching the movie Jackass, and another said they thought about "killing bums on the street in a violent way" after playing the R18 game Warriors.
Asked if playing a game or watching a movie ever made them do something different, one teen said Grand Turismo 4 made them "drive faster".
The survey results reinforce what many people have speculated for some time - that watching violence can influence a teenager's behaviour. But it also found that many teens were left thinking or acting more positively.
One person said they went to see a doctor about mental health issues after watching the film Secret Window. Other responses included making fewer racial jokes, keeping tempers under control, playing sports, reading poetry and being kinder to others.
One teen said after watching the Passion of Christ "I don't know why but watching this made [me] stop being religiously racist. I researched popular religious (sic) and learnt more."
Many feature films, mainly influential documentaries and dramas, made teenagers think more about issues from racism to war. The documentary Super Size Me resulted in seven students eating healthier and trying to avoid fast food, especially McDonald's.
Nine students said the thriller Butterfly Effect changed their thinking about predestination.
The report, which found that overall most young people chose films and games appropriate to their age, was commissioned by the Office of Film and Literature Classification.
Chief censor Bill Hastings said the influence of films and games on young people was vital as many of the classification decisions were based on the likely effect on young people.
"The results give us cause to be optimistic," said Mr Hastings. "While many teenagers have, at some point, viewed material not legally able to be supplied to them, most routinely chose age-appropriate material."
