More teens think sex on TV isn't needed. They want to see friendship.
More teens want to see friendship on screen, not romance.
Last year, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles found that teens and young adults think there's too much sex and romance in TV and movies, according to its annual Teens and Screens report out of the Center for Scholars and Storytellers (CSS). This year's report found that the figure went up: 63.5 percent of adolescents want stories focused on friendship and platonic relationships, up from 51.5 percent last year.
The number of adolescents who said sex and sexual content aren't needed to advance the plot of TV shows and movies also jumped, from 47.5 percent last year to 62.4 percent this year. Additionally, 46 percent are interested in more asexual and/or aromantic characters on screen, up from 39 percent last year.
"The romance doesn't need to be the biggest part of the plot. The relationships need to involve less jealousy and the plot shouldn't fixate so much on the relationship being formed. They really aren't that dramatic," said an anonymous 17-year-old quoted in the report. "It would also be awesome to see more diverse groups such as queer people in romantic relationships. That's more realistic for the real world and I like seeing more representation."
The report clarifies that survey questions regarding romance and sex weren't shown to younger adolescents aged 10-13. Those 14-24 years old were asked, however, around 1,200 participants surveyed in early August this year. CSS considers ages 10-24 "extended adolescence," when young people form their own opinions and gain independence.
Ten- to 13-year-olds were asked about friendship, though, CSS's founder and executive director Yalda T. Uhls confirmed to Mashable. As one anonymous 12-year-old commented, "I think more friendships should be shown. And just because boys and girls are friends doesn't mean they have to be romantic."
Young people seem to be tired of "the same dated and unrelatable romantic tropes on screen," Alisha J. Hines, director of research at CSS, said in the press release. "Teens and young adults want to see stories that more authentically reflect a full spectrum of nuanced relationships."
"Teens and Screens" also offers insights unrelated to romance. One is that teens love fantasy, with 36.2 percent saying they most wanted to see that genre. Adolescents want to see "hopeful, uplifting content with people beating the odds" and less content about the rich and famous. No Succession or The White Lotus for them, supposedly.
The study also found that around a third of adolescents (31.1 percent) consider social media the most authentic media space — but almost half (45.1) cringe when they watch portrayals of social media in TV and movies. Despite the social media love, 48.1 percent of adolescents say they talk about TV and movies more than they talk about social media.
Teen respondents actually prefer going to the movies during opening weekend over other leisurely activities like going to a concert or playing a new video game as it's released. According to the study, however, they'd rather see a story about friends rather than lovers.
All the insights about young people's thoughts on TV and movies can be found at the full "Teens and Screens" report.