British Netflix hit ‘adolescence' to be shown in French schools: Minister
British Netflix drama 'Adolescence' -- which has sparked widespread debate about the toxic and misogynistic influences to which young boys are exposed online, can now be shown in French secondary schools -- a minister has said.
The initiative follows a precedent set in the UK.
The producer of the series broadcast on Netflix has 'opened up the rights to us' and the French education ministry will 'offer five educational sequences to young people based on this series,' Education Minister Elisabeth Borne told LCI TV late on Sunday.
These excerpts from the mini-series are 'very representative of the violence that can exist among young people,' Borne said.
She added that they would be shown in secondary schools to children from the age of around 14 onwards.
Such materials are intended to help raise awareness of the problem of 'overexposure to screens and the trivialization of violence on social networks,' as well as the spread of so-called masculinist theories -- misogynistic spheres which advocate violence against women, said Borne.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the move to screen the show -- in which a 13-year-old boy stabs a girl to death after being radicalized on the internet -- 'an important initiative' which would help start conversations about the content teenagers consume online.
'Adolescence,' which was released on March 13, follows the aftermath of the schoolgirl's fatal stabbing, revealing the dangerous influences to which boys are subjected online and the secret meaning youngsters are giving to seemingly innocent emojis.
The series 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 Andrew Tate.
As of June 1, 'Adolescence' reached a total of 141.2 million views, making it Netflix's second most watched English-language series ever, according to industry magazine Variety.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
8 hours ago
- Arab News
France eyes social media ban for under-15s after school stabbing
PARIS: French authorities have announced plans to ban social media for under-15s and the sale of knives to minors after the murder of a teaching assistant by a 14-year-old boy plunged the country into shock. A secondary school pupil was arrested on Tuesday after killing a 31-year-old school assistant with a knife during a bag search in Nogent in eastern France. Friends and well-wishers left flowers and messages of support in front of the secondary school struck by the tragedy. 'We share your pain,' read one message. Laurence Raclot, who knew the teaching assistant, Melanie, said she was 'stunned.' 'She was great with kids,' Raclot said. 'In a quiet little town, we never would have thought this could happen.' A former hairdresser, Melanie had retrained and worked at the school since September. She was the mother of a four-year-old boy and a councillor in a village near Nogent. 'There are no words,' added another local, Sabrina Renault. 'It's really sad for her whole family, for that little boy who's left without his mum.' Pupils and parents were seen entering and leaving the school, where a psychological support unit has been set up. The suspect will remain in police custody for a further 24 hours, until Thursday morning, a police source told AFP on Wednesday. Little information has been released about his motive. In the wake of the attack, authorities promised a raft of measures to tackle knife crime among children. 'I am proposing banning social media for children under 15,' President Emmanuel Macron said on X on Tuesday evening. 'Platforms have the ability to verify age. Let's do it,' he added. Backed by France and Spain, Greece has spearheaded a proposal for how the EU should limit children's use of online platforms as evidence shows that social media can have negative effects on children's mental and physical health. Macron said on Tuesday that if no progress was made within several months, then France would go ahead with the ban unilaterally. 'We cannot wait,' he told broadcaster France 2. France has in recent years seen several attacks on teachers and pupils by other schoolchildren. In March, police started random searches for knives and other weapons concealed in bags at and around schools. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Francois Bayrou's office said a ban on the sale of knives to minors will be implemented by a decree issued within the next two weeks. Speaking to broadcaster TF1 on Tuesday evening, Bayrou said that the measure would come into force 'immediately.' The list will include 'any knife that can be used as a weapon,' he said. He also said parents and educators should be watching for 'signs that a teenager is not doing well,' while acknowledging that there was a shortage of psychologists. Bayrou has also called for a trial of metal detectors in schools. Education Minister Elisabeth Borne called for a minute's silence to be held in all French schools at midday on Thursday to honor the memory of the teaching assistant. 'The entire educational community is in shock, as is the whole nation,' she told France Inter radio on Wednesday. Borne said she was 'open to anything' to improve safety but added that ceramic blades would be invisible to metal detectors. She also said that young people should be protected from 'overexposure to screens.' But trade unions said they were not sure how these proposals would be implemented and enforced. 'Teaching assistants have primarily educational duties within the school environment,' said Sophie Venetitay, general secretary of the SNES-FSU teachers' union. But, she added, 'little by little, we have seen attempts to turn them into security guards.' Remy Reynaud of the CGT Educ'action union criticized the government's decision to introduce bag searches outside schools. 'They increase tensions,' he said. 'School management are pressuring teaching assistants to participate in the searches, which is not part of their duties.'
Al Arabiya
18 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Macron to push social media ban on under 15s after fatal school stabbing
French President Emmanuel Macron said he would push for European Union regulation to ban social media for children under the age of 15 after a fatal stabbing at a school in eastern France, the latest such violent attack that left the country reeling. Macron said in an interview late on Tuesday that he hoped to see results within the next few months. 'If that does not work, we will start to do it in France. We cannot wait,' he told the France 2 public broadcaster, hours after a fatal stabbing at a middle school in Nogent, Haute-Marne. Police questioned a 14-year-old student on Tuesday over the knifing of a 31-year-old school aide during a bag search for weapons. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou told parliament the incident was not an isolated case. Macron said social media was one of the factors to blame for violence among young people. Writing on social media platform X after the interview, Macron said such regulation was backed by experts. 'Platforms have the ability to verify age. Do it,' he wrote. Macron's comments come amid a wave of measures in countries around the world aimed at curbing social media use among children. Australia last year approved a social media ban for under-16s after an emotive public debate, setting a benchmark for jurisdictions around the world with one of the toughest regulations targeting Big Tech. Although most social media do not allow children under 13 to use their platforms, a report by Australia's online safety regulator found children easily bypass such restrictions.
Asharq Al-Awsat
18 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Macron to Push for Ban on Social Media for Under-15s after School Stabbing
French President Emmanuel Macron said he would push for European Union regulation to ban social media for children under the age of 15 after a fatal stabbing at a school in eastern France, the latest such violent attack that left the country reeling. Macron said in an interview late on Tuesday that he hoped to see results within the next few months. "If that does not work, we will start to do it in France. We cannot wait," he told the France 2 public broadcaster, hours after a fatal stabbing at a middle school in Nogent, Haute-Marne. Police questioned a 14-year-old student on Tuesday over the knifing of a 31-year-old school aide during a bag search for weapons. Prime Minister Francois Bayrou told parliament the incident was not an isolated case. Macron said social media was one of the factors to blame for violence among young people. Writing on social media platform X after the interview, Macron said such regulation was backed by experts. "Platforms have the ability to verify age. Do it," he wrote. Macron's comments come amid a wave of measures in countries around the world aimed at curbing social media use among children. Australia last year approved a social media ban for under-16s after an emotive public debate, setting a benchmark for jurisdictions around the world with one of the toughest regulations targeting Big Tech. Although most social media do not allow children under 13 to use their platforms, a report by Australia's online safety regulator found children easily bypass such restrictions.
