Recently, scholars from the Center for Scholars & Storytellers at the University of California, Los Angeles, released the latest installment of the "Youth and Screen" research report. Through a survey of approximately 1,500 respondents aged 10 to 24 in the United States, they discovered that the viewing preferences of American youth are becoming increasingly "plain." Young people do not desire to see explicit sexual content on the big and small screens; instead, they look forward to works that depict friendship and platonic love.
Still from "Love, to This Point"
In fact, the Center for Scholars & Storytellers conducts such polls almost annually in recent years. In last year's survey, they identified a shift in teen preferences, and this year's report shows an intensification of that trend. Researchers found that 63.5% of this year's respondents preferred films and shows centered around friendship, while 62.4% of teens felt that sexual content was unnecessary in storylines. Last year, only 55% of respondents expressed a preference for friendship-themed works, marking an increase of 8.5% this year.
Moreover, last year's poll indicated that 51.5% of American youth wanted to see more content about platonic love, nearly half of the respondents. In contrast, only 47.5% of participants indicated that they did not intend to see sexual content in films and shows, a number slightly below half. A year later, the proportion of supporters for both trends has now exceeded 60%.
Alisha J. Hines, the research director at the center, stated that this year's findings seem to further reinforce the large trend they have observed in recent years: that young Americans are growing weary of sexual relationships depicted in films and television. In her view, besides a shift in audience taste, this is largely because Hollywood's portrayal of romance and sexual relationships has become out of touch with the times, failing to resonate with young viewers.
However, another set of data from the survey seems to contradict Alisha Hines's observation that American youth desire works that are more reflective of real life. Among the respondents, 36.2% expressed a preference for films set in fantastical worlds, which is significantly higher than those who want works to address personal issues relatable to real life (24.2%), reflect social environment (13.9%), or portray the lives of the wealthy and famous (7.2%).
Still from "Me Before You"
In response, Yalda T. Uhls, the center’s founder and executive director, as well as a part-time professor in the UCLA Psychology Department, offered her explanation. "Young people in this age group are facing immense pressure while growing up, including the ongoing pandemic and the 24/7 barrage of news. They are constantly surrounded by news of mass shootings, political division, and wars, and the vast majority are emotionally and physically exhausted. This generation of American youth is genuinely concerned about social issues, yet they also need a mental break. Many seek stories filled with fantasy and hope in entertainment to alleviate the numerous challenges they face in reality."
The findings of this research report align with an overall trend among ordinary Americans towards a more "spartan" lifestyle. There was once a time when Hollywood experienced a so-called sexual liberation era, with various explicit films and adult movies capturing the attention of American youth. As late as the 1990s, films like "Basic Instinct" sparked conversations around erotic themes. However, entering the new century, this momentum has noticeably slowed, and adaptations from fantasy literature and comics have gradually become mainstream in Hollywood. Furthermore, major Hollywood productions often self-censor to ensure they appeal to a broader audience, preferring not to lose viewers over excessive sexual scenes. Given this bidirectional dynamic, it is not difficult to understand the findings of this report.
