Valentine’s Day is almost here, and love is in the air—but is that what tweens and teens want in their entertainment?

There’s a widespread notion that today’s adolescents aren’t interested in seeing love stories. And depending on who you ask, Disney may be Exhibit A of this market shift—the studio seems to be shying away from the kid-friendly romance that was once its signature (though there have been exceptions, like 2023’s sleeper hit Elemental).

Yalda Uhls, founder of UCLA’s Center for Scholars & Storytellers, has been leading research in this area as part of the nonprofit’s annual Teens & Screens report (which popularized the term “nomance”).

But it’s not entirely true that kids don’t want to see romance portrayed on screen at all. More specifically, the data has consistently indicated that kids are generally not fans of how inauthentic this subgenre can feel. That sentiment rings true for animation veteran and consultant Eric Calderon (Afro Samurai), who argues that romance in cartoons is tricky (especially when unnaturally forced into superhero content, for example) yet absolutely necessary in the bigger picture.

“Emotionally resonant stories about the human condition are essential if audiences are going to become true fans of any IP,” he says. “Frequently, that means stories about love.”

The biggest kids hit in recent memory certainly included romance as one of its winning ingredients. “Among the thousand other things that KPop Demon Hunters did brilliantly was the heartfelt subplot of Rumi and Jinu,” Calderon says. “Rujinu” (as they’re known by the fandom) evolved from animosity to mutual understanding, with every emotion in the arc feeling earned, he says. “So I think the note-behind-the-note isn’t that audiences don’t want romance—it’s that they don’t want it done poorly.”

Clichés to stay away from 

Every year, overly long love triangles rank among the most disliked tropes in the surveys that underpin the Teens & Screens report. “[Kids] find manufactured indecision frustrating rather than romantic,” Uhls explains. But a well-written triangle that fleshes out individual characters can still score major cool points—like Prime Video’s The Summer I Turned Pretty, which has been cited as a teen favorite in the data (and now has a huge following well beyond this demo as well).

Uhls notes a few other Gen Alpha pet peeves that clearly emerged from her most recent data set, including stories that sneakily try to justify a love interest’s toxic behavior. “They don’t like jealousy as proof of love—they [perceive it] as a red flag, not a sign of passion,” she says. 

And despite all the talk about kids having shorter attention spans, it turns out they’re not fans of obvious endgames or instant gratification in romance. “They don’t like instant soulmates,” according to Uhls, whose data indicates that Gen Alpha is eager for more slow-burn storytelling—around 61% of the 10- to 14-year-olds who participated in the study expressed a preference for seeing more friendship-based romance evolve over time. Says Uhls, “They actually want it more than teens and young adults!”

A need for “low-stress” romance

Tween respondents also identified some of their favorite on-screen pairings—and Uhls breaks down what these top choices tell us about their preferences. “Charlie and Nick from Heartstopper were mentioned a lot, because they’re both kind and actually [communicate] with each other,” she says. 

Emmy-winning Henson EP and romantasy connoisseur Halle Stanford (Muppets Tonight) concurs, praising how the show portrays queer teen love without heavy-handed messaging or stereotypes. “You’ve got the rugby-playing golden boy and the overthinking band geek—a jock-and-nerd combo that sounds like it wandered in from a 1980s teen movie. In reality, they’re simply two kind, thoughtful teens who happen to connect,” she says. 

Percy and Annabeth from Percy Jackson and the Olympians (one of the most popular shows not connected to the Marvel/Star Wars franchises on Disney+) were another popular pick, depicting a pair with a strong foundation in friendship.

On the big screen, Uhls notes that Gen Alphas really enjoy the dynamic in the MCU version of Spider-Man and MJ (portrayed by Tom Holland and Zendaya). “They liked that their relationship felt awkward but real, and that MJ is shown to be smart and equal to Peter,” she explains. “One of the themes to note here is emotional safety over grand, dramatic conflict. [Kids] want to see emotions, but in a low-stress romance.”

Authenticity and representation

From his conversations with young audiences, YA author/producer Jeff Norton theorizes that romance can feel daunting for a generation that dealt with pandemic isolation in their childhood/tween years. “I honestly think we have a real crisis on our hands. One of the things that we, as an industry, can do is to take seriously our duty of care towards the audience, and showcase positive, consensual relationships on screen.”

Norton is the showrunner on Netflix’s just-renewed skating romance Finding Her Edge, which hit the streamer’s top 10 in 81 countries, generating more than 12 million views. 

He says that young audiences have “the world’s best bullshit gauge” and can see artificial constructs coming a mile away—so staying true to characters’ wants and needs in every beat is the way to win a young viewer’s respect. For example: “The scene in episode 7 of Finding Her Edge where Adriana kisses Freddie’s bruise is both sweet and intimate at the same time, and is fully anchored in character.”

Stanford agrees, advising kids/teen TV writers to feature themes of identity in their love stories, “because that’s today’s landscape for kids. Add in social media, and you’ve got the added pressure of identity performance.” 

But she emphasizes that Gen Alpha still experiences the same emotions as past generations. “They still spiral over a three-word text and nurse epic crushes. But what’s changed is their vocabulary, the visibility, and the real-time permission for them to explore their identity out loud.”