Going to the movies remains the top choice for weekend outings (over live sports); they want more neurodivergent characters; they prefer fresh faces and known actors over influencers; slang is the most flagged aspect of a TV show or movie that makes it feel outdated, and as they get older, the way they view artificial intelligence trends downward from excitement to doom.
Those are some of the findings published in the newest Teens and Screens report from the Center for Scholars & Storytellers (CSS) at UCLA. Released this week, the study polled more than 1,500 adolescents ages 10-24 for their takes on all things media from films and TV shows to AI, social media and representation.
For a third straight year, seeing a new movie in theaters topped the charts as the most preferred weekend outing, ranking above playing a new video game, going to a live music show, streaming a film on their own device, bingeing a new show and going to a live sporting event. It’s a data point that will surely be music to Hollywood’s ears, especially this year which is on track to be the biggest year at the box office since the pandemic. When it comes to the type of content they prefer, live-action saw an increase in 7.4 percentage points over animated.
About those fresh faces, 39.8 percent of respondents said they prefer a new actor to star in a TV show or movie, a slight edge over 38.2 percent that said known actor while only 16.8 percent said they would cast an influencer. The data point is interesting in that the age range of respondents grew up consuming content by creators and influencers. The answers, however, shift based on age range with 10-13 year-olds reporting that they prefer known actors over new (47.1 percent versus 34.5 percent), while 19-24 year-olds picked new over known (42.9 percent versus 33.4 percent).
When it comes to investigating the aspects of a TV show or movie that make it feel outdated, respondents picked slang at 43.4 percent over fashion/hairstyle (36.3 percent), old technology (35.9 percent), visual effects (34.0 percent), pop culture references (30.4 percent), music (29.4 percent) and social media trends/references (25.5 percent).
As it pertains to AI, those who participated were asked how they felt when watching a story with AI in it, the majority said they were “fascinated” at 28.2 percent, “excited” at 25.6 percent, “doomed” at 22 percent and “scared” at 10.1 percent. Those feelings shift and change with age, trending from excitement to doomed from the age range of 10-13 to 19-24. Males were more positive on AI than females at 34.6 percent versus 23.6 percent.
Maybe it’s the heaviness of the news or the rising costs of everything from gas to groceries, but respondents said they lean toward “hopeful, uplifting stories” as well as relatable ones. Polled on what kind of stories they want to see on screens big and small, they said positive ones that showcase “people beating the odds,” “friendships and social groups” and “people with lives like mine” over superheroes and party-based stories that include drinking and drugs, which came in last.
Other notable findings include that 55 percent of those surveyed want to see more neurodivergent characters, with 22.7 percent reporting that they believe current media portrayals of neurodivergence “ring true to real life” and when asked which media can tell a story, respondents cited YouTube (72.9 percent), TV shows (70.3 percent), movies (70.2 percent) and video games (68.5 percent).
“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,” explained 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. This year’s report clearly illustrates that this is the key to creating quality content that wins over today’s youth.”
Roblox, YouTube, Hopelab, Nielsen Foundation and Warner Bros. Discovery provided support for the study. Its publication accompanied a sixth annual Teens and Screens Summit at UCLA on Thursday, Oct. 22. The invite-only event featured panel sessions and the presentation of the Greg Berlanti Social Impact Award to Joe Paulsen, head of business and strategy at Higher Ground Productions, Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company.
The full study can be found here.