Another buzzy series has taken over Netflix.
“Adolescence,” a four-part miniseries, has been in Netflix’s top 10 shows for three consecutive weeks so far — and has generated a lot of discourse online.
The show, which is rated TV-MA for language and mild violence, tackles difficult and mature, but timely, themes.
Here’s what you should know about the Netflix original series.
What is ‘Adolescence’ about?
“Adolescence” centers on 13-year-old Jamie (Owen Cooper), who is arrested for the murder of his classmate, Katie.
The police, as well as Jamie’s family and classmates, struggle to understand why — and if — young Jamie would commit such a violent crime.
According to Netflix, “The gripping story unfolds in real time as the main characters — from the central family to the detectives investigating the crime — search for answers in the wake of a shocking tragedy. Who is actually responsible? Why did it happen? Could it have been prevented?"
Is ‘Adolescence’ on Netflix a true story?
While “Adolescence” isn’t based on one specific true story, it is based on a very real concern that co-writers Stephen Graham (who plays Jamie’s father in the series) and Jack Thorne have about young men all over the world.
“One of our aims was to ask, ‘What is happening to our young men these days, and what are the pressures they face from their peers, from the internet, and from social media?‘” Graham told Netflix. “And the pressures that come from all of those things are as difficult for kids here as they are the world over.”
Graham told Netflix that he was partially inspired by “reports that (he) heard about on the news, of young boys being involved in knife crimes” in Britain, where the show takes place.
“There was an incident where a young boy (allegedly) stabbed a girl,” Graham said, according to Netflix. “It shocked me. I was thinking, ‘What’s going on? What’s happening in society where a boy stabs a girl to death? What’s the inciting incident here?‘”
The show explores the radicalization of young men by a “violent form of incel ideology,” according to the BBC.
The Metropolitan Police in London told the BBC that they have been ”concerned for some time over the increasing numbers of young people being radicalized."
While Jamie’s story might seem extreme, the House of Commons Library notes that, in the year ending in March 2023, there were “almost 18,500 cautions and convictions made for possession of a knife or offensive weapon.”
“Juveniles (aged 10 to 17) were the offenders in around 17.3%” of those 18,500 cases, per the report.
Can kids watch ‘Adolescence’?
While it’s ultimately up to you whether or not to let your kids watch “Adolescence,” some experts recommend that parents should tune into the show.
As psychologist Mark Travers wrote for Forbes, “Parents today must understand that hatred, bigotry and violence aren’t just things that children can learn directly from their upbringing. The internet is saturated with dangerous, hateful rhetoric, and research suggests that it’s only becoming more prevalent.”
The series will be streamed “for free to secondary schools across (Britain), so that as many teens as possible can watch it,” according to The Associated Press.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, according to the article, “It seems like the whole nation is talking about ‘Adolescence’ and not just this nation. As a dad, I have not found it easy to watch this with children, because it connects with the fears and worries that you have as parents and adults.”
Thorne said that streaming the show in schools across England went “beyond our expectations.”
He told the AP, “We hope it’ll lead to teachers talking to the students, but what we really hope is it’ll lead to students talking amongst themselves.”