Report: Nearly half of US adolescents avoid games that portray women in “stereotypical and harmful ways”

Over 40% of adolescent gamers in the US avoid media depicting women in a “stereotypical and harmful way”, according to a new study.

The Teens and Screens Report 2025, conducted by the Center for Scholars & Storytellers (CSS) at UCLA, surveyed 1,500 adolescents (ages 10-24) about their experiences with gaming.

The report found that 42.1% of women and girls steer clear of games that portray women in a derogatory way, as do 36.8% of boys and men.

One of the biggest issues amongst those surveyed was a fear of harassment.

The study found that over half of women and girl gamers felt as though they had to “act a certain way” when gaming because of “gender, race, or other identity.”

Boys and men held similar sentiments, with 64.5% feeling a similar pressure to present themselves differently while gaming.

“Overall, across identities, adolescents reported feeling pressure around social conformity, performance or skill expectations, and acting out or counteracting stereotypes,” the CSS noted.

“The social features that make video games a place for community can also lend themselves to social pressures.”

Diversity also remains an important subject for adolescent gamers, with 41.6% considering “racial diversity in characters and storylines” when choosing titles to play.

However, 47.8% of respondents said they struggled to find games with characters that represent them.

Over half of Asian (55.9%) and Hispanic or Latino (56.3%) players were especially affected by this issue.

On the positive side, the Teens and Screens report found that 88% of respondents found “a little community” through gaming, with almost 70% making them feel more connected with friends.

The study also found that 52.3% felt that gaming helped regulate their emotions, with less than a third reporting that playing games made them “feel more aggressive” (32.9%) or “stressed” (27.8%).