BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN

ENTERTAINMENT & RESEARCH

TO HELP THE NEXT GENERATION THRIVE

Media has power. Content creators have an opportunity. Research can help.

Drawing of clap board for film

THE POWER OF STORIES

Stories move hearts and minds in a way that numbers alone can’t. We all know it inherently. And a growing body of research supports it.

THE IMPACT ON YOUTH

Media impact on youth

Good intentions are important, but often not sufficient. Research can help ground us in how to create content responsibly.

Importance of research

THE IMPORTANCE OF RESEARCH

The brain is more malleable during early childhood and adolescence than at any other time of our lives. And young people today report consuming more than 9 hours of media a day. 

Featured News

  • New Research Snapshot: What Teens Value

    For a second year in a row, we asked asked 1500 young people from across the country between the ages of 10 and 24 to rate the importance of 14 priorities—ranging from “being kind to others” to “being famous.” Read now to find out what teens are prioritizing.

    Read Now

  • NEW RESEARCH: Beyond Nomance: Rethinking Romance and Rewriting Friendship on Screen

    CSS has popularized the term “NOmance,” which captures teens’ and young adults’ attitudes toward romance and sex on screen. For the past three years, we’ve tracked it via our annual Teens and Screens survey. The message is clear–adolescents want to see less romance and sex on screen.

    READ NOW

  • NEW RESEARCH: GET REAL! Teens & Screens 2025 Report

    For the fourth consecutive year, CSS surveyed 1,500 tweens, teens, and young adults to understand more about what young people care about and want to see in entertainment media.

    READ NOW

Ways We Help

Clients We’ve Worked With

Working out of UCLA, the Center for Scholars & Storytellers (CSS) is a nonprofit helping connect the biggest names in Hollywood and creative professionals everywhere with evidence-based insights from psychology to positively impact kids, teens, and young adults.

We’re the only organization with the institutional affiliation, academic credibility, and entertainment expertise to meet youth and young adults where they are: on screens.

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“Although insights that can guide responsible storytelling emerge regularly from the work of social scientists, they are often slow to make their way into the hands of the entertainment industry. That’s why, when I obtained my doctorate in psychology after almost two decades working in the movie industry, I created the Center for Scholars & Storytellers.”