Researchers find lack of youth mental health representation in film
Study analyzed characters in 300 top-grossing films from 2016, 2019 and 2022.
By REO
A study released in early October by the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative unearthed a stark contrast between the way young characters with mental health conditions were being portrayed in popular films and the reality of youth mental health. The initiative asserted that these films underrepresented and stereotyped young characters with mental health conditions.
The study “The Kids Are Not All Right” reviewed characters in 300 top-grossing films from 2016, 2019 and 2022.
Across the 12,915 characters included in all of the films, only 23 were children or teens with a mental health condition — less than 0.2%. If the films studied were to accurately reflect worldwide reality, there would need to be almost 24 times as many children or teens affected by a condition — about 550.
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Mackenzie Jaimes, a worker within the initiative and a senior majoring in theatre with an emphasis in acting, said the findings were shocking but not abnormal for the initiative’s findings.
“I’ve looked at a lot of [the initiative’s] studies on gender and race, and as a woman of color, those numbers are extremely low, as well,” Jaimes said. “I still would say this is probably [on] the lower end because 23 … is insane, but I wouldn’t say it’s extremely different from the other studies.”
The authors wrote that the findings were particularly problematic because of the rising rates of mental health conditions among young people.
“Metrics show that since the late 2010s, the rates of attention deficit disorder, anxiety, and persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness all increased among youth,” the study read. “Not only does popular film underrepresent mental health conditions in children and teens overall, when these portrayals do appear, they offer a skewed view of reality.”
Of the 23 characters, 15 were white, and none of the characters were members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Although the authors wrote that 15 of the characters were girls, Dory from “Finding Dory” (2016) was counted twice, making only 14 of the characters girls.
Jaimes said the lack of proper representation was “disheartening,” mentioning her experience growing up biracial while not seeing others like her on the screen.
“It can actually affect your mental health, to not see yourself in these TV shows and movies and other forms of entertainment,” Jaimes said. “I genuinely thought that there just weren’t a lot of people that looked like me. I didn’t think that we weren’t getting in the movies because of racism or anything. I just thought, ‘Oh, not a lot of people look like me in the world.’”
In addition to not equitably presenting young characters with mental health conditions, the movies surveyed also made these characters out to be violent, according to the study. The majority of these characters were either victims or perpetrators of violence.
The authors wrote that this portrayal was bound to have ill effects on those who watched the films, since derision was often used for humor at the expense of young characters with mental health conditions.
“Modeling verbal and physical attacks against characters with mental health conditions is not without consequences,” the study read. “Portrayals like these can dehumanize people with mental health issues and may even contribute to real-world violence.”
The study also claimed any form of treatment was mostly absent from the films. Only about a quarter of the characters are shown in therapy, all of whom are white.
“A mere 2 characters used any form of medication, one of whom was a dog!” the study reads. “The view of treatment in film suggests that storytellers view mental health conditions as immutable and untreatable.”
When discussing potential responses, the authors linked to their own initiatives and resources and wrote that stories that resonate with audiences are stories with which they can identify.
“Young people today are drawn to stories that reflect their experiences– and that includes struggles with anxiety, depression, and other forms of mental health conditions,” the study reads. “Storytellers who reflect the reality of youth mental health may find that the audience is more receptive to realistic depictions and drawn to films that refuse to demonize, disparage, or marginalize mental health.”
The authors of the study — Ariana Case, Aimee Christopher, Katherine Pieper and Stacy Smith — were not available for comment.
