Eminem - Love the way you lie.

New Zealand youth are exposed to high levels of violent content in music videos, new research confirms.

A study published in the New Zealand Medical Journal showed more than a third of music videos recorded from television music channel Juice TV over a two week period in 2010 contained violence and violent themes.

The study authors, public health researchers from the University of Otago, called for more regulation to curb access to the violent material and education for artists, parents and educators.

REUTERS New Zealand researchers have called for action on violent music videos by artists including Rihanna.

Associate Professor Nick Wilson said there should be tighter regulation of music videos paid for by the taxpayer through New Zealand On Air.

"Personally, I don't want my taxes used to make violent music videos," he said.

The study, funded by the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), analysed 861 videos for violence, including suicidal behaviour, death and Goth culture themes.

Of the 338 videos with violence, 42 per cent contained sexual content, with 20 per cent of those including violence and sex in the same scene.

Violence was less common in the videos for New Zealand artists.

Wilson said because music videos were readily available on the internet, regulation would be difficult.

"That would highlight the need for . . . more efforts going in to youth and parental education to limit internet access."

The high level of sexual violence was particularly disturbing, Wilson said.

"In those videos with stars like Rihanna, she'll be beaten up and then she will be sort of sexually engaged with the person who was beating her up, and so that's a very disturbing mix I think lot of people would find problematic."

Sky TV, which broadcasts Juice TV, said content complied with broadcasting standards and was rated.

A parental lock could be set to block a level of content, a Sky spokeswoman said.

"We select content for Sky channels but others are provided to us by external suppliers, including all music channels," she said.

Rape Prevention Education director Kim McGregor said she was not surprised by the results.

"It validates what we suspected."

Violent sex was becoming normalised in pornography and music videos and not enough was being done to educate young people about healthy relationships, she said.

"Not a lot of students even know there is an issue of consent. In music videos, it's inferred, so what we have to teach them is that there is a law and if you don't have consent then it's sexual violence."

Christchurch students Mel Dalton, 20, and Alex O'Connell, 18, were not surprised by the study's findings.

Dalton said the high level of sexual violence in videos was "pretty disgusting" but predictable.

"I feel like the media is very tuned to men," she said.

Some young women were influenced by music videos portraying sexual violence, Dalton said.

"They probably think it's normal, so they behave the same way."

O'Connell believed music videos had little influence on violent behaviour.

"It's the way you are brought up," she said.