Not for the first time, a new study has shown there is no link between playing violent video games and aggressive behavior in teenagers. The news comes as lawmakers in some states seek to tax violent titles after several high-profile politicians blamed them for causing mass shootings.

Researchers at the UK’s University of Oxford studied 1,000 British teens aged 14 and 15 to look for evidence of violent games’ harmful effects. Rather than relying on information given by the participants—something previous studies (that found a link) have done—the team noted the teens’ behavior and what they were playing as reported by their parents and carers.

The level of violence in the games that were played was classified by the Pan European Game Information (EU) and Entertainment Software Rating Board (US) rating systems, rather than by the players themselves.

The teenagers answered questions about their personalities and gaming habits over the previous month, while the careers noted their recent aggressive behaviors. It was the first study to use the Royal Society’s registered reports approach, in which hypothesis, methods and analysis technique are publicly disclosed […]