MV Viewer 2022-23 Issue 2

Portrayal of Teens by Nolan Anderson

Teens in the media are often portrayed as angsty, antisocial and superficial. Compared to teens in the real world, the media often exaggerates its teenage characters.

While the media does not always accurately portray teenagers, producers are beginning to realize that portraying teenagers accurately can make a story more interesting and relatable to real teens. There certainly seems to be a trend of producers including more diversity in films and TV shows, whether that is diversity in race, gender or personalities, and this is only bound to increase.