Recent research indicates that teens increasingly prefer friendship-focused media over forced or unrealistic romantic storylines, with a 2025 UCLA report showing 59.7% of teens favoring friendship-centered content. Further studies highlight that media clips shape expectations of real-world relationships and can normalize toxic, controlling behaviors, according to analysis from ResearchGate . For a detailed summary of the findings, you can review the UCLA report . Get real! Teens want friendship-centered on-screen content