LONDON – Adolescence, the Netflix hit series about a 13-year-old British boy arrested on suspicion of a horrifying crime, has intensified the anxiety of parents worried about toxic and misogynistic influences young people are exposed to online.
In living rooms up and down the country or over a cup of tea or coffee at the office, the crime drama – on which Hollywood A-lister Brad Pitt worked as an executive producer – has got people talking. Even UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told parliament he was watching it at home with his two teen children.
It tells the story of schoolboy Jamie – played by British actor Owen Cooper, 15, in his debut role – whose family is thrown into turmoil when armed police smash down the door of his suburban home and arrest him in a dawn raid.
The four-part miniseries released on March 13 had 24.3 million views in its first four days, making it Netflix’s top show for the week of March 10 to 16, according to entertainment industry publication Variety.
One question hangs over the show: Could this angelic-looking young boy really commit such a savage crime?
Adolescence has resonated with an audience increasingly disturbed by a litany of shocking knife crimes committed by young people and the misogynistic rhetoric of influencers like American-British social media personality Andrew Tate, who gained notoriety for promoting various positions in the manosphere community.
The drama highlights the “incel” (involuntary celibacy) culture of males who feel unattractive to the opposite sex and harbour a hatred of them, and how it is discussed on social media.
Isabelle, a mother of two daughters aged 16 and 18, was shocked by the series and painfully aware that the story “could be true”.
“You don’t have any insight into the youth culture, you know, Instagram, all that stuff. And adults are basically shut out… and that’s really scary,” said the 49-year-old from Glasgow, Scotland. “If your child is sucked into it, what do you do or how do you get them out of it?”
British media, which has hailed Adolescence as powerful and timely, has been asking the same question.
“Is your son a teenage timebomb?” the Daily Mail tabloid asked, advising parents to watch out for signs such as boys spending more time alone in their rooms or becoming obsessed with the number of followers they have on social media.
Adolescence’s writers and actors have been taken aback by its success.
“We never thought for a second that (the show) would have such an impact,” creator Stephen Graham, who also plays Jamie’s father, told the BBC.
A promotional shot of the cast of Adolescence: (from left) Ashley Walters, Owen Cooper, Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty and Christine Tremarco.PHOTO: NETFLIX
The British actor came up with the idea for the story after hearing on the news about two teenage girls who were murdered by young men within a few weeks.
“It really hurt my heart and I went a bit cold, and I just thought, what kind of society are we living in today where this thing is becoming a regular occurrence,” he said.
Co-writer Jack Thorne said their research required them to go “into the darkest holes of the internet”.
“It doesn’t take long to access and these kids are being polluted by this stuff, and we need to stop that pollution”, he said, calling on the government to act.
Michael Conroy, founder of Men At Work, an organisation which helps teachers and social workers engage with young men and tackle sexism, was glad the show had become such a talking point.
“The drama is brilliant and will be used a lot by teachers and parents. It will create essential conversations.”
But he warned that if those discussions came across as criticism, they would not lead to “constructive dialogue and I don’t think many boys or young men will engage. They will feel attacked”.
He called on adults to take an interest in the manosphere, masculinist discourses and the language that accompanies them: “What are they saying? What are the codes?” AFP
- Adolescence is available on Netflix.
Join ST’s Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
