Information reaching Kossyderrickent has it that 51.5% of Gen Z reportedly want to see more content focused on friendships and platonic relationships.
“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,” Dr. Yalda T. Uhls, founder and director of CSS and co-author of the study, said. “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.”
“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,” Rivas-Lara stated. “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.”
According to the new UCLA Teens and Screens study, which was conducted by the Center for Scholars & Storytellers, people aged 10 to 24 are tired of seeing graphic relationships on their screens.
48% of Gen Z audience members feel that “sex and sexual content is not needed for the plot of most TV shows and movies,” while 51.5% want to see more media focused on friendships and platonic relationships.
Apparently, if Gen Z has its wish, gone will be the days of gyrating teens onscreen seeking sex, drugs, and recklessness á la “Euphoria.”
The new UCLA “Teens and Screens” study, conducted by the Center for Scholars & Storytellers, found that across 1,500 members of Gen Z ages 10 to 24, young people wanted more relatable stories that emphasized platonic relationships instead of sexual content. To note, only respondents age 13 to 24 were asked about intimate content.
Adolescents opted to see “lives like their own” onscreen, which included less romance. Forty-eight percent of adolescents feel that “sex and sexual content is not needed for the plot of most TV shows and movies,” with 51.5 percent wanting to see more content focused on friendships and platonic relationships.