Teens Vs TV
- akacz179
- Aug 21
- 2 min read
Have you just been scrolling and scrolling on Netflix, trying to find something that would entertain you without any luck? That's what I've been doing for the past couple of months. I feel like I've watched everything good for teens - something that's not too cheesy and moderately clean. I found myself wondering: Why aren't there that many TV shows and movies aimed towards teens anymore? Here are a couple of potential reasons I came up with:
A Small Audience
Surprisingly, only about 7% of the United States' population consists of teenagers and tweens (ages 12-17). This means that TV producers are more likely to create content aimed at a wider audience, such as adults (who make up approximately 78% of the total US population) or younger children (around 14%), so that they can make the most revenue possible.
Just the Right Balance
Teens often don't like anything aimed towards younger kids, but at the same time, they aren't ready for adult shows. It's hard to find a sweet spot in between these two areas, and if a movie or show ends up failing because it's too cheesy or mature, the producer(s) will lose money and get criticized. An example of this is how Disney's Zombies franchise is aimed towards teenagers and tweens, yet a lot of reviews by them say that it's too cringy and cheesy.
The Social Media Takeover
In the past, social media platforms didn't exist or weren't as popular as they are today. Over 93% of teens use social media, says a survey, with the most popular platform being YouTube. Teens have moved from traditional TV programming to short video and streaming platforms, which means that TV networks won't give the go-ahead for teen-targeted media because it hasn't repeatedly proven profitable in recent years.
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