Rewrite this! Annual Teens and Screens report reveals young audiences are redefining modern storytelling

The media habits of teens and young adults reflect transformative changes in modern storytelling and technology, and the entertainment industry and other content creators should pay attention, according to the latest Teens and Screens report from the Center for Scholars & Storytellers (CSS) at UCLA.

CSS' fifth annual report provides the creative community with important data and insights about what young people want and the types of media content that will help the next generation thrive and grow.

This year's study asked more than 1,500 adolescents ages 10-24 about their perceptions, opinions, and beliefs regarding popular media, including TV shows, movies, video games, AI and social media. The respondents' demographic makeup closely reflects the latest U.S. Census regarding race and gender.

According to the report, young audiences appreciate and watch stories of all lengths on an increasing number of platforms, from 30-second TikTok videos on their cellphones to full-length feature films in a movie theater. Survey respondents, ages 10-24, answered questions about their tastes and preferences when it comes to television, movies, social media, video games and AI-generated content.

"The gatekeepers have changed, and young people themselves are deciding what they want to watch and what they want to see more of in the content they choose," said Yalda T. Uhls, founder and CEO of CSS and adjunct professor in UCLA's psychology department.

"Industry leaders should 'tune in' to young people as well as the experts who have positive youth development and their well-being in mind," said Uhls, the study's senior author. "This year's report clearly illustrates that this is the key to creating quality content that wins over today's youth."

Movie theaters - and thoughts on AI

Asked which media can tell a story, respondents most often chose YouTube (72.9%), with nearly 4 in 5 saying that short-form videos can tell a story, TV shows (70.3%), movies (70.2%) and video games (68.5%). TikTok (64.2%) scored the highest among social media platforms; 41.3% said AI can tell a story, ranking it sixth of eight media. Despite shifting viewing habits, seeing a new movie in a movie theater topped the list of weekend activities for young people for the third year in a row. Playing a new video game was second, followed by going to a live music show.

Other findings reflected additional opinions on AI, who they want to watch, and the stories and characters they want to see.

Asked how they feel when watching stories about AI, 28.2% were "fascinated," 25.6% "excited," while 22% felt "doomed" and 10.1% "scared." Among 10-13-year-olds, the youngest age group surveyed, 44.2% described programs about AI as "fascinating," while less than 10% used words like "doom." "Doom" was the dominant emotion for 27.4% of study participants ages 19 and up, while 17.7% felt "excited."

Despite the worldwide success of creator-led films "Obsession" and "Backrooms," few of today's adolescents (16.8%) would cast an influencer to star in the stories they watch; more (nearly 40%) would choose an actor they've never seen before.

Only 2.8% of speaking or named characters in 2025's top 100 movies had a disability, according to a USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative report. Fifty-five percent of all adolescents and young adults surveyed want to see more neurodivergent characters on screen, with the percentage rising among youth who identify as LGBTQIA+ (77.7%) or have a disability (74.8%). Only 22.7% of respondents believe that current media portrayals of neurodivergence "ring true to real life" most of the time.

'Hopeful, uplifting stories'

For the second consecutive year, kids and young adults said they prefer to watch relatable stories. Respondents' top three responses when asked what they want to see in TV shows and movies were "hopeful, uplifting stories with people beating the odds," "friendships and social groups," and "people with lives like mine." Superheroes placed fifth; partying and/or drugs and drinking alcohol came in last.

Other findings:

• Stories about nonbinary and LGBTQIA+ identities and people ranked 17th of 18 but ranked first among LGBTQIA+ respondents.
• Boys and young men chose "action and/or fight scenes" first and superheroes second.
• 57.3% of respondents said they want to see more representation of platonic relationships, while 52% believe romantic relationships in media are more central to the lives of fictional characters than they are in real life.
• 56.8% want to see people in different-gender relationships prioritize friendship over turning it into romance.

In a change from last year's report results, live-action content regained its top spot as the preferred choice for adolescent and young adult audiences versus animation (58% versus 42%). This marked an increase of more than 7 percentage points from last year.

"Young people continue to ask for personally meaningful stories that capture the diverse experiences and identities they themselves hold," said study co-author Stephanie Rivas-Lara, who received her master of social work from UCLA. "The call for greater neurodivergent and friendship representation is just some examples we found of the broader demand for more diverse and authentic portrayals."

Support for this research was provided by Roblox, YouTube, Hopelab, the Nielsen Foundation and Warner Bros. Discovery.

The Center for Scholars & Storytellers at UCLA will hold its sixth Annual Teens and Screens Summit on Oct. 22. The by-invitation-only, daylong event features panel sessions presented by thought leaders across the entertainment industry as well as youth activists, researchers, and others working to support kids, teens and young adults, both onscreen and offscreen. This year's Greg Berlanti Social Impact Award will be presented to Joe Paulsen, head of business and strategy at Higher Ground Productions, Barack and Michelle Obama's production company. The award is presented to an individual or company that has made a lasting impact on youth-centered storytelling in the entertainment industry.