In this dissertation, I center the potential of Gen Z to be changemakers and highlight the implications media has for their sense of political power. I argue that if, as a society, we care about the agency, empowerment, and political efficacy of young people, we need to pay attention to what they are watching, what messages they are receiving, and which lessons they internalize. I focus on scripted television and offer three dimensions of pop cultural analysis- production, content, and audience reception. This dissertation brings together research on modeling theory (Bandura, 2018) and self-efficacy to produce valuable societal insights into how media impacts youth social justice engagement. I make an intervention into the sub-field of media effects by using qualitative research methods across four studies. First, I interviewed screenwriters about the process of (dis)empowering teenage characters on television series. Second, I conducted a thematic content analysis of scripted television storylines depicting youth activism. Third, I held viewing and discussion sections where young adults watched and responded to a sub-set of these episodes. Lastly, I interviewed young adults about their experiences watching television with special attention to episodes that depict youth activism. The viewing and discussion sessions and interviews with young adults demonstrated that viewers are able to digest and synthesize the messages embedded in episodes, then translate that information into tangible advice for youth activists. Interlocuters often had opposite opinions about the same storylines, however, which demonstrates that young people’s reactions to depictions of youth activism are not uniform. Many interlocuters reported feeling inspired or motivated by depictions of youth activism, while others had reservations about how and when activism and social justice messaging should be included in scripted television. The findings from this dissertation can shape communication scholarship, the entertainment industry, and social justice movements.