CSS Teens & Screens 2023

Romance or Nomance?

CSS sought to examine teens' perspectives of the entertainment and social media content they consume through its annual Teens & Screens survey. In its second year, this survey asked American teens what topics they wish to see in the content they watch, which kinds of media feel more authentic to them, and why. Download the report to find out what this years’ surveyed teens had to say.

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To Cite This Report:

Rivas-Lara, S., Kotecha, H., Pham, B., & Uhls, Y.T. (2023). CSS Teens & Screens 2023: Romance or Nomance. Center for Scholars & Storytellers. https://www.scholarsandstorytellers.com/css-teens-and-screens-2023-report


Main Findings

This year’s survey reached 1,500 adolescents from ages 10 to 24. The survey was designed to compare answers to the 2022 survey and also included additional questions unique to 2023. We found shifts from last year in terms of the topics that adolescents care about most, but were also able to show how these views varied by age and demographic information. However, adolescents still find TikTok to be the most relatable media platform.

The new story for this year is that adolescents are much more interested in watching stories featuring friendships and platonic relationships, what we are labeling “nomance.” After the pandemic years, it seems young people are craving these feel-good character relationships.

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