Believe it or not, the members of Gen Z (Generation Z) are not only interested in sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Well, at least not the sex part when watching television. This is according to a new study released by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
And Gen Z is largely known for being self-important and shallow and is the first generation to grow up with the internet and smartphones. They are comfortable using technology to communicate, learn, and entertain themselves.
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This may sound really hard to believe. After all, everyone thinks that the members of the younger generations are all sex obsessed and advertisers use sexually provocative imagery when marketing to youth. And back in the 1980s, MTV made itself inseparable from the Zeitgeist – and a money-printing endeavor- by using sexually explicit music videos to win over younger audiences. And this was before there was anything such thing as Gen Z.
But apparently when it comes to television shows these days, young people like Gen Z want quality programming with good stories more than they want to see sex. This explains why recent high profile sex-filled shows like HBO’s “The Idol” bombed; even though, in the past they would have survived their terrible reviews from the critics as long as they provided audiences with titillating content the “pushes the edge.”
But this year’s “Teens & Screens report” from UCLA’s Center for Scholars & Storytellers, or CSS, found that teens — as well as Gen Z — think that ex and romance are too prominent in today’s television programming They would prefer to see more “friendships and platonic relationships” depicted on television, say the researchers.
According to their research, almost half of adolescents between the ages of 13 and 24 surveyed responded that they feel romance is overused in media (44.3%) and that sex is unnecessary for the plot of most TV shows and movies (47.5%). A majority (51.5%) want to see more content focused on friendships and platonic relationships, with 39% seeking more non-romantic and/or asexual characters on screen.
So, we may have gotten it wrong: Gen Z may not be so shallow after all.
“While it’s true that adolescents want less sex on TV and in movies, what the survey is really saying is that they want more and different kinds of relationships reflected in the media they watch,” said Dr. Yalda T. Uhls, founder and director of CSS, co-author of the study, and adjunct professor in UCLA’s psychology department.
The report, a comprehensive annual portrait of adolescence and media, surveyed 1,500 people ages 10–24 (reflecting the ages of adolescence defined by the National Academy of Sciences) in August, with 100 young people from each age bracket participating. Respondents closely reflected the U.S. 2020 census in race and gender.
Gen Z is the demographic cohort succeeding Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha, basically 18 – 24 year olds, but the age group is flexible. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1990s as starting birth years and the early 2010s as ending birth years. Gen Z is said to be the most diverse generation yet, and they are growing up in a world that is rapidly changing due to technological advancements and social movements.
Gen Z is known for being digital natives, meaning they have grown up with technology as an integral part of their lives. They are also known for being socially conscious and active, and they are passionate about making a difference in the world.
