Sex in films is “not entertaining” and young people are increasingly tired of watching it, according to a new study.

The research by the Centre for Scholars and Storytellers in California found that over half of young people (51.5%) prefer to watch TV shows and films about platonic friendships, rather than romantic relationships. 

A slightly smaller figure (47.5%) thought that sex is overused as a plot device in cinema. 

Speaking to Lunchtime Live, listener Adam said he is not a fan of sex scenes. 

“It’s not entertaining when it’s just two random people having a go at it on screen,” he said. 

Adam said young people are a “lot more media literate” than previous generations and expect more from the content they consume.  

“We’ve gotten a lot more keen on why things are getting shown to us,” he said. 

“A lot of the time, sex scenes are used in shows just to be like, ‘Oh, look at this really edgy thing that we’re doing’ and ‘Aren’t we so cool’. 

“Or [they’re] just used to pad time or it’s really poorly done or poorly shot.”

Pornography

Adam said people know can find pornography if they want it - they think just the line between porn and cinema sometimes gets blurred too much. 

“Sex is pervasive in our media now,” he said. 

“From OnlyFans to other porn websites, the uprising of sex worker representation, I think if you did want that content, there are so many other places you can find it. 

“I just think the goal of watching media is very different to the goal of watching pornography. 

“I think maybe we’re getting a bit confused because it’s not something you throw in to catch people’s attention.” 

'More in-depth stories'

Entertainment journalist Sarina Bellsimo said she was “surprised” to read the results of the survey at first and had to dig down into the results to make sense of them. 

“I think they’re tired of Hollywood taking shortcuts,” she said. 

“There were a few people who said, ‘Sometimes we don’t need the sex or the romance to tell the story’ - they want more in-depth stories. 

“They want more stories that deal with connection.” 

The study for the Centre for Scholars and Storytellers surveyed 1,500 young people aged between 10 and 24, interviewing 100 people from each age group.

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Main image: Actors about to kiss. Picture by: Alamy.com