Teens & Screens 2025

Today's adolescents are active co-creators of their own media environments. In August of 2025, we asked 1,500 adolescents (ages 10-24) about their perceptions, opinions, and beliefs about various types of popular media, including TV shows, movies, video games, and digital media. Main findings include:

1. Traditional media is social, too—maybe more than social media: Fifty-three percent of adolescents said they discuss TV shows and movies with their friends more than they discuss content on social media.
2. Back to life, back to reality: Realistic, relatable stories swept the preferred topics list. When asked what they want to see more of, “People with lives like my own” was
   number 1.
3. Friendship comes first onscreen, even in romance: Nearly 60 percent of adolescents said they "want to see more content where the central relationships are friendships."