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Look at them all smiling! It's so happy!

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It's seeing as teens as people who are drug addicts

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This ad shows teens as more positive and collaborative. With them putting they're hand in the middle or whatever it's called I forgot.

Propaganda technique: Glittering generalities

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Modern media is only showing one side of the story about Gen Z teens. They only see us as being addicted to our phone and relationship drama. But in reality teens are so much more deeper with different personalities and ideas.

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"While it’s true Generation Z enjoys TikTok, Instagram and video games, we’re not glued to our screens. We enjoy playing outdoors, spending quality time with friends and family, and pursuing hobbies we’re passionate about. Similarly, instead of constantly obsessing about shallow things, we are deep thinkers who explore ideas of social justice, politics and the environment. When we talk about what we did over the weekend, it’s not usually about parties; instead, we rant about studying for exams and finishing our homework. I wish this was the side of us that was seen in films and books."

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In movies and television shows, teens are portrayed as angsty and asocial beings who prefer scrolling through social media on our phones rather than spending time engaged in conversation with friends and family. We are stereotyped as obsessed with makeup, gossip and parties.

But this is not reality.

While it's true Generation Z enjoys TikTok, Instagram and video games, we're not glued to our screens. We enjoy playing outdoors, spending quality time with friends and family, and pursuing hobbies we're passionate about. Similarly, instead of constantly obsessing about shallow things, we are deep thinkers who explore ideas of social justice, politics and the environment. When we talk about what we did over the weekend, it's not usually about parties; instead, we rant about studying for exams and finishing our homework. I wish this was the side of us that was seen in films and books.
Niveditha Bala is a senior at Mandela International Magnet School. Contact her at niveditha.bala@ mandelainternationalschool.us

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How teens are portrayed in popular culture is misleading, dangerous

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In movies and television shows, teens are portrayed as angsty and asocial beings who prefer scrolling through social media on our phones rather than spending time engaged in conversation with friends and family. We are stereotyped as obsessed with makeup, gossip and parties. But this is not reality.

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The portrays teens as people who can actually care. It's more in a positive tone. It makes teens look like people who would care even if they are breaking rules.

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It portrays teen girls as people that only care about relationship drama and not their own safety.

it also portrays teens in general just horrible.

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Even though our generation is diverse and generally kind-hearted, writers will ignore that and give us shallow cliques and get into all these sorts of relationship drama. And most of these shallow cliques will be bad people who would break school rules

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"Despite the diversity of youth, TV and movies portray teens as shallow and interested in nothing but drugs, sex and romance. In shows like “Gossip Girl” and “Riverdale,” high schoolers are constantly caught up in love triangles and messy dating drama. In “13 Reasons Why,” the nuanced issue of mental health is dumbed down in favor of storylines about drug abuse and teen pregnancy. Some shows, including “Degrassi,” “One Tree Hill” and “Gossip Girl,” go so far as to depict teen weddings. However, today’s youth are increasingly turning away from that behavior. A survey from Child Trends found that almost half of high school seniors avoid dating while a study from Berenberg Research shows that Gen Z is drinking alcohol 20 percent less than millennials. These departures from harmful behaviors like underage drinking might be a result of changing social norms, but they also might have something to do with the fact that teens have access to social media, where people their age are sharing more complete, less stereotyped versions of themselves."

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Teens deserve better on-screen representation

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When the film adaptation of the Tony award-winning Broadway musical “Dear Evan Hansen” came out, fans were disappointed. The commentary on mental health lacked nuance, the acting was too theatrical to play well on TV, the main character was unsympathetic. The biggest issue for audiences, however, wa…