Self-Absorbed, Dangerous, and Disengaged: What Popular Films Tell Us About Teenagers Susannah R. Stern Department of Communication Studies University of San Diego An overwhelming number of American adults have negative impressions of teenag- ers. Mass media may play a role in these impressions. This article describes results from a content analytic study of images of teenagers in recent popular films aimed at discerning how they are typically depicted. This study inquired about portrayals of teens’behaviors, motivations, and relationships with their parents. The results indi- cate that modern Hollywood films featuring youth promote an image of teenagers as self-absorbed, violent, disconnected from parents, and disengaged from civic life. Racial and gender stereotyping of teen characters is also evident. Altogether, the im- age of teens constructed by recent, popular films likely reinforces adults’negative views and possibly works to distance adults from teens. “Lazy,” “disrespectful,” and “spoiled.” These are the negative words the majority (71%) of American adults spontaneously use to describe modern-day teenagers (Public Agenda, 1999). Although some teens may admittedly deserve this charac- terization, many—if not most—do not (Scales, 2001). In fact, today’s adolescents are highly ambitious and conscientious, with the majority engaged in work, com- munity service, and extracurricular activities, and most aspiring to earn college de- grees (Independent Sector, 2003; Schneider & Stevenson, 1999; Shell Oil, 1999; U.S. Department of Labor, 2002). Nonetheless, only one-third of American adults surveyed in a national poll believed that young people are likely to make America a better place when they grow up (Public Agenda, 1999). Adults who spend little or no time with youth are more likely to hold these types of negative views—a trou- bling correlation considering that age-based social segregation is common in con- MASS COMMUNICATION & SOCIETY, 2005, 8(1), 23–38 Requests for reprints should be sent to Susannah R. Stern, Department of Communication Studies, University of San Diego, 5998 Alcalá Park, San Diego, CA 92110. E-mail: susannahstern@sandiego.edu