A recent survey (2023 Teens & Screens report from UCLA) found that many teenagers and young adults are tired of seeing too much romance and sex in TV shows and movies. Instead, they want more focus on friendships and non-romantic relationships.
Nearly half of those surveyed think that romance is used too much (44.3%), and almost half believe that sex isn’t necessary for the story (47.5%). Most (51.5%) want to see more content about friendships, while 39% want to see characters who aren’t interested in romantic relationships.
The report suggests that young people today are feeling lonely and want to see more realistic relationships in the media they watch. They’re having less sex than their parents did at their age, and many prefer to stay single.
Young people like to binge-watch shows (watching multiple episodes in a row), and they prefer original content over remakes and franchises. They used to want to see lives different from their own on screen, but now they want to see lives that are more like theirs.
Overall, they value authenticity in media, with platforms like TikTok and content from creators like Mr. Beast being seen as very real and relatable.
A similar situation might arise soon in India as well as many Indian web series showing sex and vulgar content without any rhyme or reason. Unless such scenes feature big names, Indian youth are also losing interest in watching explicit content in each and every web series.
