Gen Z – or the plot that keeps giving – is not interested in sex, romance, or love triangles in movies or series, according to a new study that reveals that more than half of the respondents feel there is simply too much of it in today’s films and TV series.
Titled GET REAL: Relatability on Demand, the annual Teens & Screens report surveyed 1,500 young people aged 10 to 24. Conducted in August 2025, the study explores how young audiences perceive, discuss, and consume entertainment media.
The main finding this year is the continuing trend towards what researchers call ‘nomance’, with 59.7 percent of adolescents saying they prefer stories focused on friendship and platonic relationships, up from 51.5 percent last year. Another 48.4 percent feel that there’s “too much sex and sexual content in TV and movies”, while 62.4 percent agreed that sex isn’t necessary to advance a plot.
Yalda T. Uhls, founder and executive director of the CSS and co-author of the study, explains the shift by pointing to the pressures these generations have faced. “They’ve been exposed to huge stressors during their formative years – COVID and 24-hour news cycles,” she said.
While Fantasy topped last year’s preferences, Relatable Stories lead this year. Stories “that are like my personal life” received 32.7 percent of the vote, ahead of fantasy with 25.2 percent. Far fewer respondents expressed an interest in real-life issues impacting society (18.6%) or the lives of the rich and famous (7.2%). Young people do, however, want uplifting narratives about ordinary people beating the odds and overcoming difficulties with the support of friends, much like cartoon characters.
This explains the marked preference for animation, which rose from 42 percent in 2023 to 48.5 percent this year – a trend that is perhaps unsurprising in an era dominated by manga and anime.
The study also challenges assumptions about Gen Z’s viewing habits. Traditional media still attract America’s youth: 57 percent of respondents said they watch TV and movies more often than older generations realise, and 53 percent said they discuss films and TV shows with friends more frequently than short-form social media content.
For the second consecutive year, their most popular activity is ‘going to see a film at the cinema’, ahead of sports, gaming, or concerts.
“This study flips the script on the myth that Gen Z and Gen Alpha don’t care about TV or movies,” said Uhls. “It challenges some of the biggest assumptions about what they want to see.”
What distinguishes them from older generations is how they watch: Nearly 4 in 5 said they at least sometimes stream shows on YouTube or other social platforms rather than on television or in cinemas.
Friendship was the third most popular topic among adolescents, while romance was the second least popular.
Over 54 percent said they wanted stories about people uninterested in romance, a figure that rises to 57 percent among those under 18. Fifty-five percent prefer mixed-gender friendships that remain platonic.
The first and second most disliked tropes were toxic relationships and love triangles.
“Our findings really seemed to solidify a trend we found emerging in our data last year – that young people are tired of seeing the same dated and unrelatable romantic tropes on screen,” said Alisha J. Hines, director of research at the centre. “Teens and young adults want to see stories that more authentically reflect a full spectrum of nuanced relationships.”
The tides are definitely turning: whereas past generations pushed boundaries towards ever-raunchier content, Gen Z seems intent on redrawing them. Their favourite titles – Stranger Things, Wednesday, SpongeBob SquarePants, Spider-Man, and Family Guy – confirm that friendship and fantasy now take centre stage. On a hopeful note, romance isn’t entirely extinct, with The Vampire Diaries and The Summer I Turned Pretty tying for sixth place.
