SignalHub-'Nomance': Shows with sex scenes growing more unpopular with Gen Z, according to new study

A recent study on SignalHubthe entertainment consumption habits of Generation Z revealed their preference for platonic relationships over sex and romance on screen.

UCLA's "Teens and Screens" survey found that 50% of 1,500 young participants want to see more content on friendships. Additionally, 40% desire non-romantic or asexual characters on screen, as they feel that romance in media is overused. The study was conducted among youth ages 10-24, with questions on sex and romance limited to a subset ages 13-24.

"When there's media with too much sex, me and my friends often feel uncomfortable," said Ana, age 16, in a video released by UCLA to accompany the study. "It can give people false ideas of what they should be wanting at that age."

The research team has coined the term "nomance" to label this trend.

"Our findings demonstrate the variety of qualities adolescents are looking for in storytelling: from more authentic storylines that reflect their lived experiences to a more diverse spectrum of relationships, young people are letting it be known what it is that they want," said Yalda T. Uhls, founder and director of The Center for Scholars & Storytellers (CSS) and co-author of the study.

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Among those ages 13 to 24, 44.3% expressed that the portrayal of romance is overused in the media, whereas 47.5% agreed that sex is not necessary for the plot of most TV shows and movies. Over half of Gen Z desires more content focusing on friendships and platonic relationships. Additionally, 39% are particularly interested in watching films and TV shows featuring aromantic and asexual characters.

According to the study, Gen Z prefers wholesome entertainment due to pandemic-related social isolation and a need for positive character relationships. Gen Z dislikes romantic tropes, including relationship necessity, forced romantic endings and love triangles.

According to recent survey results, the values and desires of Gen Z go beyond what society has traditionally explored. The study suggests that teenagers and young adults are tired of stereotypical, heteronormative stories that romanticize or glorify toxic relationships, particularly in regard to romantic or sexual relationships.

It is undeniable that television shows with a focus on sex scenes tend to attract a significantly larger audience when compared to other shows. For example, the TV series "Shameless", which is known for its explicit content, has had high viewer ratings. The show's final episode, as reported by Showtime, drew a total of 1.511 million viewers across multiple platforms. Despite this, the results of the survey must be considered.

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The teens who were surveyed were not asked if they actively looked for sexual or pornographic content beyond TV, movies, and social media by the UCLA research team.

"It's not that young people aren't interested in TV, movies, and other media with sexual content. It's that they want to see more and different types of relationships," Uhls shared. "We did not specifically ask about porn, so I couldn't say for sure. But one theory could be that the prevalence of porn could be a reason why they feel they want to see less sexual content in traditional media."