Get real! Teens still watch TV and movies, but want to see more mixed-gender friendships

This year's Teens and Screens Report from the Center for Scholars & Storytellers (CSS) at UCLA is in - and findings reveal that a return to relatable content is what teens and adolescents want to see on screen. The 2025 findings also challenge the notion that today's adolescents, including the 18- to 24-year-old demographic that is most coveted by many advertisers, don't watch or care about "traditional media," when in fact, they do. They just watch and engage with it differently than other generations.

The consensus among many adults is that teens couldn't care less about TV and movies, but when asked whether they watch traditional media more than older generations think they do, 57% of teens surveyed said they agreed with this statement - 3.8 times more than those who disagreed (only 14.9%). And they also engage about what they are watching. When asked what they talk about more with their friends, 53% of participants reported that they discuss TV shows and movies more than content on social media, while only 18.6% disagreed with that statement.

And for the second year in a row, seeing a new movie in theaters is the top-ranked choice for a weekend activity, if money and logistics were not constraints.

"This study flips the script on the myth that Gen Z and Gen Alpha don't care about TV or movies and challenges some of the biggest assumptions about what they want to see," said Yalda T. Uhls, founder and CEO of CSS, senior author of the study and adjunct professor in UCLA's psychology department. "And teens aren't just passively watching traditional media - they're discussing it with their friends even more than social media content. From this report, we're also seeing that relatable stories are the currency of connection for this generation and that these narratives are what truly matter to adolescents today."

Teens want realistic storylines: "People with lives like my own"

After last year's report indicated fantasy as their top choice, relatable stories are once again what most teens want to see, with a 35.3% jump from 2024. Similar to last year's findings that teens want less romance on screen, 59.7% of this year's respondents "want to see more content where the central relationships are friendships."

The new study dove deeper into what those friendships look like and found that 54.9% of adolescents want to see different-gender characters "prioritize their friendship instead of turning it into a romantic relationship" - versus the 49.0% who want to see more same-gender friendships. This difference is even larger among teens 18 years old and under (57.7% to 46.3%).

"Teens are telling us loud and clear - they're 'over' forced and unrealistic romantic storylines," said Alisha Hines, CSS vice president of research and programs. "Our findings show that what they really want is content, characters and friendships that feel real and reflect everyday experiences they can authentically relate to."

Relatable content is king, but according to the latest findings, it's a split when it comes to whether that content is animated or live action. Given the choice, nearly as many adolescents said they prefer animated content (48.5%) as those who prefer live-action content (51.5%). This percentage is higher than last year, when 42.0% of adolescents said they preferred animated content.

And when it comes to how teens prefer to consume content such as TV shows and movies, including clips, they tend to be "platform agnostic." When asked how often they watch TV or movies on YouTube or social media platforms like TikTok rather than on TV, streaming platforms or in movie theaters, 19.9% noted they only watch TV and movies on YouTube or social platforms, while 78.4% said they watch TV and movies on YouTube or social platforms at least sometimes; 9.2% reported they never watch TV or movies on YouTube or social platforms.

Gen Z values and seeks out connection through gaming

The study shows that 88% of adolescents report finding at least "a little community" through gaming. Nearly 70% shared that gaming makes them feel more connected to their friends. More than half of those surveyed felt that gaming helped them work on regulating their emotions, while less than a third reported that it made them feel more aggressive or stressed.

"Ultimately, teens want to feel connected to their friends," said Matt Puretz, CSS senior researcher and a co-author of the study. "And in addition to television and movies, this year's findings show that gaming is another way for them to build on and develop these important relationships."

This year's annual comprehensive study asked 1,500 adolescents (ages 10-24, reflecting the ages of adolescence defined by the National Academy of Sciences) about their perceptions of various types of popular media, including TV shows, movies, video games and social media. The demographic makeup of participants closely reflects the latest U.S. Census in regard to race and gender. Support for this research was provided by the Funders for Adolescent Science Translation (FAST), Warner Brothers Discovery, Roblox, Nielsen Foundation, Templeton World Charity Foundation and the Hilton Foundation.

In conjunction with the release of the 2025 report, the Center for Scholars & Storytellers will hold its fifth Annual Teens & Screens Summit on October 23, 2025 at the UCLA Meyer and Renee Luskin Conference Center in Los Angeles. 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 on- and off-screen.

This year, special guest Greg Berlanti, an acclaimed producer, director and storyteller, will be honored with CSS' inaugural Greg Berlanti Social Impact Award. Going forward, the award will continue to be presented to an individual who has made a lasting impact on adolescent-centered storytelling in the entertainment industry throughout their career.

For more information, please visit the Center for Scholars & Storytellers' Teens & Screens Summit page.