Are movies and TV shows too explicit? Gen Z seems to think so

Younger generations don’t think sex is necessary to the plots of most movies and TV shows.

That’s according to a recent study from UCLA. Researchers interviewed 1,500 individuals between the ages of 10 and 24 about the way they are interacting with media.

Those between the ages of 13 and 24 were asked if they thought sex was needed for the plot in entertainment, and 47.5% of respondents said it was not.

Respondents also said they wanted to see less romance on screen (44.3%) and more content centered around platonic friendships (51.5%).

In a video UCLA released in conjunction with the survey, 16-year-old respondent Ana said, “When there’s media with too much sex, me and my friends often feel uncomfortable.” She later added, “I feel that it is way too graphic.”

The survey also quoted pop star Olivia Rodrigo’s answer to the question of whether or not she watched the HBO series “The Idol.”

“I don’t have the desire to. I remember walking out of ‘Barbie’ and being like, ‘Wow, it’s so long since I’ve seen a movie that is female-centered in a way that isn’t sexual or about her pain or her being traumatized,’” she said.

Director of the Center for Scholars & Storytellers and co-author of the study Yalda T. Uhls said, per Variety, “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 want.

What does Gen Z want to watch on screen?

Here are the top five categories survey respondents said they would like to watch:

1. Hopeful, uplifting content with people beating the odds.
2. People with lives like my own.
3. Action and/or fight scenes (may include guns and violence).
4. Superheroes.
5. Friendships and social groups (popular, unpopular, etc.).

Other categories respondents selected were content that doesn’t include sex or romance, racial minorities, lifestyles of the working class and/or low socioeconomic class, people with lives unlike my own and current events (e.g., political and social issues, etc.).

What else did the survey find?

Here are five other key findings from the survey:

1. Respondents said they watch entertainment “to escape and take my mind off of things,” “to entertain myself” and “to interact with other people and form connections with them.”
2. The No. 1 disliked stereotype portrayed in entertainment by Gen Z was racial stereotypes.
3. Respondents preferred original content compared to franchises, adaptations and remakes of other shows and movies.
4. The No. 1 most authentic media was MrBeast, according to respondents.
5. Respondents said they prefer an entire season of a show to be released rather than an episode released each week.