Sweet Trap:
When Romantic Comedy Dramas Become Teenagers’ Love Textbooks
Written by: Yap Yee Qi, Winnie Ka Jing Ying
Edited by: Goh Ke Shin
Infographic Design by: Chou Jia Shyuan, Siow Shu Fei
In today's world, emotional experiences shaped by social media have outgrown individual feelings; they are fed by clip edits and algorithmic fantasies. The "sweet moments" in romantic comedy dramas, delivered in fragmented scenes, continuously reshape how teenagers understand romance. Teenagers build up their imagination of love through romantic comedy dramas. When "cross-border pursuit" is underscored by emotive background music and repeated endlessly, have we long forgotten the essential element—Does the other person feel the same way and genuinely want it too?
"Romantic Comedy Drama Highlight Clips" becomes Short-Video Hits
Within the short-video ecosystem, "romantic comedy drama highlight clips" have become highly efficient emotional content. Creators extract the sweetest scenes in popular drama by editing, filtering, and captioning them, delivering them in 10-second bursts in order to capture users’ hearts.
The platform algorithm system then boosts them further, turning the characters’ emotions into a reflection of a collective public feeling, revealing how romantic comedy dramas feed and fulfill audiences’ idealized love fantasies.
In recent years, teenagers in Malaysia increasingly relied on TikTok and Xiaohongshu for entertainment. By 2024, over 2.5 million Malaysian users had registered on Xiaohongshu, making it the platform’s second-largest market.
Imitations of Romantic Comedy Drama
In order to study romantic comedy drama's widespread dissemination in social media and how they influence Malaysian teenagers' perceptions of expression and physical boundaries, we interviewed 20 Malaysian Chinese secondary students (10 girls, 10 boys; average age 14–17). Since they are in an emotionally formative period, their viewing habits and responses to romantic content help us understand this cultural phenomenon in depth.
We focus on how they perceive the "sweet moment" of romantic comedy dramas. If a peer acted the same in real life, would they feel comfortable or weird? More importantly, does long-term exposure to these scenarios blur their understanding of "intimacy" versus "crossing boundaries"?
At the age of first love, the lack of sex education leaves teenagers relying on self-exploration to express good feelings. The results show they rely on online clips, peers, and shows to learn how to express their feelings. This spontaneous emotional education reveals a glaring gap that sex education is missing, and the internet culture becomes their default dating tutor.
The chart shows the opinions of the interviewed boys and girls on the pursuit moves
Interpretation of Physical Boundaries among Boys and Girls
When it comes to physical boundaries, there is a clear difference in boys' and girls' perceptions. The survey results show that boys are more likely to view certain forms of physical contact as normal, while girls are more prone to feeling uncomfortable. This stark contrast in interpreting the same behavior reveals underlying gender-based differences in how teenagers understand intimacy. And these boundaries are being further blurred by idol dramas, online videos, and other media. What actions are signs of affection? Which ones cross the line? We often overlook whether the other person has given their consent.
The chart shows the acceptance of physical boundaries in heterosexual interactions by boys and girls interviewed
Romance or Boundary-Crossing?
Romantic Comedy Dramas Blur the Lines of Interaction
Ngan Sue Ven, a part-time lecturer at New Era University College, pointed out in an interview that the plots of romantic comedy dramas are highly predictable, structurally simple, and rich in entertainment value, making them more easily accepted by audiences and, as a result, highly shareable.
Ngan Sue Ven explained that drama requires a dramatic presentation to create sensory stimulation and emotional tension.
When distinguishing between "romantic pursuit" and "sexual harassment," she emphasized that true romance must be built on mutual affection. Without that foundation, even something as simple as a prolonged gaze can constitute harassment. The key to determining whether a behavior has crossed the line lies not in the act itself, but in whether it makes the other person feel uncomfortable.
She also pointed out that male leads in dramas often express intense emotions under the guise of "romance," but these actions can blur the boundaries of healthy interpersonal relationships and subtly influence the mindset of teenagers. She said: "Dramas are scripted stories, not textbooks and should never be treated as relationship models. Teenagers should develop basic critical awareness when watching them."
Idol dramas teach us how to love—but who teaches us how to say "no"?
Rationally, we know these dramas are fictional. Yet emotionally, we still find ourselves immersed in those heart-fluttering moments. This tension between reason and emotion invites us to reflect: shouldn’t society as a whole, including families, schools, and the media, create a more open space for teenagers? For example, an environment for ongoing conversations about respect, boundaries, and communication, rather than relying solely on one-way education.
What’s troubling is that the real world has long normalised these boundary-crossing behaviours. As we critique what we see on screen, we must also ask ourselves: "Are we enabling the same patterns in real life?" True change might begin with the courage to simply say,"I don’t like this."