In March, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted a roundtable with the creators of the Netflix series ‘Adolescence’ at Downing Street.
He mentioned that he watched the show with his two teenage kids.
“As a father, it hasn’t been easy to watch. We’ve been viewing it alongside our children. My daughter is 14 and my son is 16, making it quite challenging,” he shared with reporters.
Mr. Starmer praised Netflix for making the series available at no cost to secondary schools throughout the UK, noting its role in highlighting issues of misogyny and online content.
Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller in Adolescence (Courtesy: Netflix©2024)
While not every school in the UK intends to screen the series, many agree that it has ignited vital discussions.
A stark representation of a common issue
Pat Kelly teaches classes on the subject of ‘positive masculinity’ and what it entails.
One secondary school that has long been addressing online safety and misogyny is Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School in northwest London, which has a significant number of students and staff with ties to Ireland.
Pat Kelly serves as their Head of Boys Development.
He explained that ‘Adolescence’ portrays an extreme form of toxic masculinity, yet there are subtler examples in everyday life.
He noted, “When we see an extreme case, it’s easy for society to label it as wrong.
“What it brings to light is the necessity for all of us to comprehend the spectrum of online misogyny.”
“Of course, when it results in a young girl’s murder, we all condemn it, but do we react similarly to misogynistic remarks masked as banter?”
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Mr. Kelly also teaches classes on “positive masculinity” and its implications.
He points out the challenge for parents and educators in addressing inappropriate behavior in the digital age.
“In the past, exposure to misogyny might have occurred at football games or in pubs. Today, a new generation faces a significant amount of misogyny online, which is more perilous due to its largely unregulated nature,” he elaborated.
Empowering Parents
Ann-Marie McLoughlin noted that her school has been conducting workshops for parents.
15-year-old Erin expressed her thoughts on showing ‘Adolescence’ in secondary schools.
She supports the idea but suggests it might benefit parents even more.
“It would raise parents’ awareness [of harmful online content and misogyny], so I’d prefer to show it to parents to understand how they can manage their children’s social media use,” she stated.
This concern has been recognized by Cardinal Wiseman in recent years, especially due to the rise of controversial male online figures.
Deputy Head Teacher Ann-Marie McLoughlin mentioned that the school has been holding workshops to educate parents on how to supervise their children’s social media activity and block harmful content.
“Looking back to a time without social media and mobile phones, children’s behavior was often more closely supervised. Parents would intervene to say, ‘that’s wrong’—we should still do that,” she remarked.
A Tool for Educators
Bohir, an 18-year-old final year student, believes it’s worthwhile to show the series in schools but emphasizes that it should serve as a tool for reflection rather than passive viewing.
He stated, “The core message of the show for me was focused on toxic masculinity and harmful online content, particularly the communities one can inadvertently join.”
“If teachers could supplement the viewing by discussing how to avoid such negative influences online, it would be beneficial.”
Currently, Cardinal Wiseman secondary school has no plans to screen the series, but Ms. McLoughlin agrees that, if shown, it would be more effective to use clips in conjunction with the curriculum.
Adolescence in Irish Schools
Minister for Education Helen McEntee has no objections to showing ‘Adolescence’ in Irish secondary schools.
Minister McEntee remarked that she supports the showing of ‘Adolescence’ in Irish secondary schools.
She stated, “The series ‘Adolescence’ sheds light on significant challenges that young individuals face, and I have no reservations about it being shown in schools.”
“It should be up to schools to decide if it fits with their curriculum and complements existing SPHE [Social, Personal and Health Education] efforts.”
Minister McEntee highlighted that feedback from students, educators, and parents shows that much of the content young people encounter online is starting to influence their interactions.
When asked about possibly banning social media for under-16s, similar to Australia’s upcoming measures, Ms. McEntee responded that “anything that protects our youth should be examined and explored.”
However, she also stressed the importance of engaging with young people on their social media use, adding that the upcoming Online Safety Commissioner will play a role in ensuring social media companies act responsibly and remove harmful materials.
