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Summary of "Get Real! Relatability on Demand" (Teens & Screens 2025)

Core Content

This report, Get Real! Relatability on Demand, is part of the annual Teens & Screens study conducted by the Center for Scholars & Storytellers (CSS) at UCLA. It explores the media preferences and perspectives of U.S. adolescents aged 10–24, focusing on their desire for realistic, relatable stories in entertainment media. The study includes data from 1,500 participants and emphasizes the importance of understanding adolescent voices to create more authentic and inclusive content.

Main Findings

1. Traditional Media is Social, Too – Maybe More Than Social Media

• 57% of adolescents say they watch TV and movies more than older generations think they do, nearly 4x more than those who disagree.
• 53% discuss TV shows and movies with friends more than content on social media.
• 31.2% of adolescents choose movies over other media types when watching with friends, twice as often as social media.
• Theaters remain the top weekend activity for adolescents, with 72% citing the togetherness of watching a movie as more important post-pandemic.

2. Adolescents Prefer Realistic, Relatable Stories

• Relatable stories are now the top preference, with 32.7% of teens favoring them over fantasy, real-world issues, or aspirational stories.
• A 35.3% increase in preference for relatable stories compared to last year.
• Teens want to see people with lives like theirs, emphasizing authenticity and connection to real-life experiences.

3. Friendship Comes First, Even in Romance

• 59.7% of adolescents aged 14–24 want content that centers on friendships rather than romance.
• 54.9% prefer different-gender friendships to prioritize platonic bonds instead of turning into romantic relationships.
• 60.9% want romantic relationships that focus more on friendship than sex.
• 48.4% feel there is too much sexual content in TV and movies.

4. The Boundaries Between Media Types Are Fluid

• Adolescents consume and engage with all types of media without rigid boundaries, often using them for connection and community.
• YouTube is seen as the most authentic digital media platform, with 66.1% of adolescents rating it as "often" or "always" authentic, compared to 59.1% for TikTok.

5. Preferences Vary by Demographics

• LGBTQIA+ adolescents prioritize nonbinary and LGBTQIA+ identities, mental health, friendships, hopeful stories, and people with lives like theirs.
• Girls and young women prefer family life, friendships, uplifting stories, and empowering stories about women.
• Boys and young men lean towards superheroes, people with lives like theirs, action scenes, friendships, and uplifting stories.

Key Topics Adolescents Want to See

• People with lives like mine
• Hopeful uplifting stories with people beating the odds
• Friendships and social groups
• Action and/or fight scenes
• Superheroes
• Family life and relationships with parents
• Empowering stories about women
• Mental health
• Dystopian and/or apocalyptic
• Lifestyles of the working class
• Awareness of climate change and the environment
• Systemic injustice
• Life as an immigrant
• Nonbinary and LGBTQIA+ identities

Tropes to Avoid

• Love triangles: 52% of adolescents dislike them, especially when they feel forced or unrealistic.
• Toxic relationships framed as romantic: 54.1% want fewer portrayals of relationships with troubled beginnings or frequent conflict.
• Relationships based mostly on physical attraction: 48.4% feel there is too much sex and sexual content in media.

Bonus Content: Top 25 Favorite Shows and Movies

• Stranger Things
• Wednesday
• SpongeBob SquarePants
• Spider-Man (tie)
• Family Guy (tie)
• The Vampire Diaries (tie)
• The Summer I Turned Pretty (tie)
• Breaking Bad (tie)
• K-Pop Demon Hunters (tie)
• Supernatural (tie)
• Dexter (tie)
• Superman (tie)
• Squid Game (tie)
• The Walking Dead (tie)
• Tom and Jerry
• Friends (tie)
• Ginny & Georgia (tie)
• The Rookie (tie)
• BMF (tie)
• Rick and Morty (tie)
• Game of Thrones (tie)
• Naruto (tie)
• Jurassic Park/World Franchise (tie)
• Bob's Burgers (tie)
• Coraline (tie)

Common Themes in Top 25

• Friendship-centered content
• Family-focused stories
• Relatable fantasy with grounded narratives

Conclusion

Adolescents are not just passive consumers of media; they are active participants in shaping their media environments. They seek authentic connections, realistic portrayals, and community-building experiences through stories that reflect their real lives and relationships. The report calls for the entertainment industry to listen to young voices and create content that is inclusive, accurate, and meaningful to their experiences. CSS aims to bridge the gap between youth and creators by providing data-driven insights and amplifying adolescent perspectives.

Methodology and Support

• The study was conducted with a sample that closely reflects Gen Z demographics in the U.S.
• The report was supported by FAST, Warner Brothers Discovery, Nielsen Foundation, Templeton World Charity Foundation, and Roblox.

Future Work

• CSS plans to integrate findings into AskYalda, an AI-powered research tool for storytellers.
• The Youth Media Representation (YMR) program aims to create a pipeline for authentic youth perspectives into media creation.