Young Americans are embracing multiple forms of storytelling while seeking characters who more closely reflect their experiences, according to UCLA's 2026 Teens and Screens report. Conducted by its Center for Scholars & Storytellers, the research examines the media habits of more than 1,500 Americans ages 10 to 24.
YouTube topped storytelling preferences at 72.9%, while nearly four in five respondents recognized short videos as a storytelling format. TikTok led among social media platforms at 64.2%. Yet enthusiasm for digital formats coexisted with interest in theatrical experiences: going to the movies remained respondents' favorite weekend activity for the third consecutive year.
Authentic representation was another priority. While 55% wanted more neurodivergent characters—people whose brains function differently from what is considered typical—only 22.7% thought existing portrayals were realistic most of the time. Demand for such characters was higher among LGBTQIA+ respondents.
Participants also sought hopeful narratives, friendships, social groups, and characters with lives resembling their own. Their responses continued a pattern in earlier reports favoring less sexual content and more platonic relationships. Some 52% believed romance occupied a more central position in fictional characters' lives than it does in reality.
Attitudes toward artificial intelligence were divided, although curiosity and enthusiasm outweighed apprehension: 28.2% described themselves as fascinated and 25.6% as excited, compared with 22% who felt doomed and 10.1% who were scared. Respondents ages 10 to 13 were the most positive, with 44.2% finding programs about AI fascinating.
