Latinos Are More Than Enough and Our Diversity Is Our Strength

In 2025, 20% of the U.S. population will be of Latino origin. But that doesn't mean there's consensus on what it means to be Latino—or even who is Latino.

For example, U.S.-born actress Jenna Ortega, who's of Mexican and Puerto Rican descent, has been criticized by some who questioned her identifying as Latina because she doesn't speak fluent Spanish … as if language or appearance is what defines us. As if there's only one way to be Latino. (Thankfully, during a recent interview for her new film, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Ortega was told by a Latina journalist, "You are Latina enough!")

Latinidad is something cultural, beyond language or race. And being Latino means something different for each of us. We should be celebrating those differences, not trying to define ourselves for a non-Latino audience. Yes, we share roots in Latin America, but some of us are immigrants, while others are the children or grandchildren of immigrants. Some speak only English, others only Spanish, and many both languages, with a healthy dose of Spanglish peppered in our conversations. Some identify deeply with a specific country and heritage, while others are multi-racial. And many Latinos have intersections of identity that inform their perspectives.

Latinos in the United States are an important audience for the entertainment industry. According to Nielsen's Hispanic Audiences in Focus report, U.S. Hispanic adults spend an average of 8 hours and 41 minutes per day watching TV. And a recent McKinsey research reported that Latinos are the most avid filmgoers in the United States, making up 19% of the population but accounting for 24% of film ticket sales.

These TV and movie fans have a unique connection with their chosen content, one that's driven by trust and social influence. In fact, according to Nielsen, 67% of Latinos say they find content to watch primarily based on recommendations from friends and family.

Whatever version of being Latino we each relate to, we expect to see ourselves on screen. It's especially important for families that media portrayals of Latinos are nuanced and show the differences that exist within and across our communities. There's room for all of us, and all our experiences are valid. Showing that immense range is great for kids and families.

There's considerable diversity within the Latino community.

Identity: The number of Latinos who say they are multiracial has increased dramatically. More than 27 million Latinos identified with more than one race in 2022, up from 3 million in 2010, according to Pew Research Center. In an interview with NBC News, Michael Tran, one of the authors of UCLA's 2024 Hollywood Diversity Report, highlighted that U.S. Latinos are a diverse demographic, ranging from Afro Latinos to light-skinned Hispanics of European descent. That diversity among Latinos means that many different kinds of characters can be relatable. "You can say they have more versatility in who and what kind of faces they identify with on-screen," he said.

Language: The share of Latinos in the U.S. who speak English proficiently is growing. In 2022, 72% of Latinos ages 5 and older spoke English proficiently, up from 59% in 2000. At the same time, the share of Latinos who speak Spanish at home declined from 78% in 2000 to 68% in 2022, and most of that decline was among the U.S. born, according to Pew Research. How do you address an audience that shares a similar culture and values but no longer shares a language? Creators can't assume that Latino audiences are uniformly bilingual.

Age and generation: Hispanic audiences are more likely to consume content on mobile devices compared to other demographic groups. This trend is driving streaming platforms to optimize their services for mobile viewing, ensuring high-quality experiences on smartphones and tablets.

As the UCLA report states: "A much younger demographic feel that streaming platforms, which offer so much more choice than traditional TV, provide the most relevant content. In the first quarter of this year, Hispanic adults aged 18-49 spent the majority of total time with TV with content they accessed from the internet."

Latinos seek out media where they feel represented.

Hispanic audiences still feel that streaming platforms provide the most relevant content (Nielsen) for them. Latinos primarily find representation within dramas and feature films. According to Parrot Analytics' Content Panorama, Netflix and Peacock have the highest percentage of Spanish-language content among the main streaming platforms, but they take quite different approaches to their offerings. Netflix focuses on producing and acquiring content originally from Spanish-speaking countries, especially Spain, while Peacock's Spanish-language catalog consists primarily of U.S. productions targeting Spanish-speaking audiences, mostly from Telemundo.

The streaming services' growing libraries reflect the fact that, in recent years, we've seen the intersection of gender, race, sexual orientation, and Latino identities finding more space in film and television, providing viewers with a wide range of stories about the challenges and triumphs of navigating the complexities of these intersecting identities.

Movies like Radical, The Long Game, and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, which have received the Common Sense Seal for exceptional media, are perfect examples of this inclusivity, telling complex stories that resonate across cultures.

These stories not only provide fantastic entertainment for all kinds of mainstream audiences, but they also juxtapose traditional Latino novelas which typically depict a very narrow view of Latino culture, such as white Latinos as main characters with Black and Brown characters in positions of servitude. More authentic and varied representations of Latinos have an extra layer of significance for Latino and Spanish-speaking families, creating a positive impact on the kids who are watching.

Common Sense Media is helping guide families to entertainment that features Latinos.

In 2022, Common Sense Media launched Spanish-language movie and TV show ratings and reviews with more than 100 titles. Two years later, we've reviewed close to 3,000 titles in Spanish to help Spanish-speaking families find the best content for their kids.

This year, we've also added several curated lists for Hispanic Heritage Month, from Best Latino Family Movies and Great TV Shows with Latino Characters and Leads to Guillermo del Toro for Kids. And, recognizing the nuances within Latino culture, we've also created lists such as Movies with Cuban and Cuban American Characters and Leads, Movies with Mexican and Mexican American Characters, Movies with Puerto Rican Characters and Leads, and Movies and TV Shows That Capture Latino LGBTQ+ Experiences.

Along with these curated lists and our Diverse Representations ratings, we recognize exceptional Latino entertainment through our Common Sense Selection seal program, which honors high-quality, age-appropriate media that has the potential to spark family conversations, entertain families of all types, and have a positive and lasting impact on society.

This year's Hispanic Heritage Month theme is Pioneers of Change: Shaping the Future Together. Something that today's media is especially helping overcome is a too-narrow view of what it means to be Latino. It's as important to see Latino actors starring in movies speaking unaccented English and in roles beyond their ethnicity as it is to see Sofia Vergara, with her instantly recognizable voice, being the highest-paid TV actress. As we look to the future, let's show young Latinos that we are all more than enough.