Race and Class in Teen TV Report
Economic Diversity in the Top 10 Shows Viewed by US Teens Ages 13-17 in 2019
During adolescence, youth develop a clearer sense of their personal identity through messages they receive about their culture and environment, many of which are delivered through media. Research finds that how we FEEL about our social class has more impact on our well-being than our ACTUAL social class, and this seems to be particularly strong during the teen years. During this key developmental stage, stories have enormous power to reflect and reinforce perceived social norms. Our findings highlight how Hollywood is still peddling the American dream, particularly for people of color.
- Dr. Yalda T. Uhls, MBA, Ph.D., Founding Director, CSS
Dig Deeper
Reach out to info@scholarsandstorytellers.com to learn more about how we are working with content creators to improve representations of socio-economic inequality on screen.
Support for this Work
“For too long, mainstream storytelling has failed to understand how the depiction of race and class on screen affects American culture. With the clarity of these findings and statistics in hand, we can no longer plead ignorance when it comes to providing authentic representation for people of color and the systemic inequities they face.”
“The power of children’s programming to shape the way young people see themselves and see the world is undeniable. This report offers valuable insights and concrete suggestions to content creators to help them represent more truthful stories and realistic characters, paving the way for real social impact and change.”
“These important findings highlight the ways in which popular media continues to sell false dreams and forge class divides, obscuring the potent truth that an American economy rooted in systemic racism is continuing to fail us all.”
