This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: 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." 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- to 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.
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