EXCLUSIVE: A UCLA study finds teens and young adults are not interested in romance and sex in plotlines of most TV shows and movies, while a majority is interested in content about friendships and platonic relationships.
The recent Teens & Screens report conducted by The Center for Scholars & Storytellers at UCLA found that 47.5% of teens and young adults ages 13-24 think that sex and romance are too prominent in TV shows and movies, and 51.5% want to see more content focused on friendships and platonic relationships, with 39% saying they particularly want to see more aromantic and/or asexual characters (ace/aro) on screen. A near majority of those surveyed felt that romance in media is overused (44.3%).
The annual report surveyed 1500 young people ages 10-24 in August 2023, with 100 teens from each age bracket taking part. Respondents closely reflected the US Census in terms of race and gender. The survey was supported by the collection of Funders for Adolescent Science Translation.
While it’s true that adolescents want less sex on TV and in movies, what the survey is really saying is that they want more and different kinds of relationships reflected in the media they watch,” said Yalda T. Uhls, founder and director of CSS, co-author of the study, and adjunct professor in UCLA’s psychology department.
“We know that young people are suffering an epidemic of loneliness and they’re seeking modeling in the art they consume. While some storytellers use sex and romance as a shortcut to character connection, it’s important for Hollywood to recognize that adolescents want stories that reflect the full spectrum of relationships,” Uhls said, adding that recent studies show that young people are having less sex than their parents did at their age and many prefer to stay single.
Romantic tropes ranked fourth on a list of adolescents’ most disliked stereotypes, which included a dislike of relationships being necessary to be happy, male and female leads always having to end up together romantically, and love triangles. While the popularity of Twilight and The Hunger Games supercharged the love triangle trope, what once was novel has now become commonplace and teens appear to have soured on these frequent storylines.
“We know that young people are suffering an epidemic of loneliness and they’re seeking modeling in the art they consume. While some storytellers use sex and romance as a shortcut to character connection, it’s important for Hollywood to recognize that adolescents want stories that reflect the full spectrum of relationships,” Uhls continued, adding that recent studies show young people are having less sex than their parents did at their age and are choosing to be single.
Additional findings in the study: 50.5% of those surveyed expressed a strong or slight preference for binge-watching shows all at once while only 25.5% preferred weekly drops of episodes.
Adolescents also showed a strong preference for original content, with 56% saying they’d rather watch original movies and TV shows over remakes, franchises or those based on pre-existing intellectual property like a book, comic or graphic novel.
Adolescents also are looking to see themselves represented on screen. Their viewpoint has shifted from last year when the topic adolescents most wanted to see on screen was “lives unlike my own,” in 2023, that fell to position number 9 and “lives like my own” rocketed to #2. And despite adolescent preferences for original stories, “Superheroes” still ranked fourth among the topics they most want to watch.
“As a member of Gen Z myself, I wasn’t surprised by some of what we’re seeing this year,” said Stephanie Rivas-Lara, Youth Engagement Manager at CSS and first author of the study. “There has been a wide-ranging discourse among teens about the meaning of community in the aftermath of COVID-19 and the isolation that came with it. Teens are looking to media as a ‘third place’ where they can connect and have a sense of belonging – and with frightening headlines about climate change, pandemics and global destabilization, it makes sense they are gravitating towards what’s most familiar in those spaces,” continued Rivas-Lara.
“As a member of Gen Z myself, I wasn’t surprised by some of what we’re seeing this year,” said Stephanie Rivas-Lara, youth engagement manager at CSS and first author of the study. “There has been a wide-ranging discourse among young people about the meaning of community in the aftermath of COVID-19 and the isolation that came with it.
“Adolescents are looking to media as a ‘third place’ where they can connect and have a sense of belonging — and with frightening headlines about climate change, pandemics and global destabilization, it makes sense they are gravitating towards what’s most familiar in those spaces,” said Rivas-Lara, who holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and is working towards her master’s in social work from UCLA.
Adolescents also desire authenticity in the movies and shows they watch. This year MrBeast’s YouTube channel took #1 for most authentic media, followed by series and movies including Stranger Things, Heartstopper, Barbie, and The Summer I Turned Pretty. Asked to name the most authentic media platform, adolescents overwhelmingly chose TikTok.
You can read the entire report here.
Also Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
Source: DLine
