Teens divided over showing Netflix series Adolescence in schools

Australia Broadcast Center

09-05-2025

It's a show about adolescents and it has got the adults talking or, shall we say, frightened.
Netflix's British drama about a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering a female classmate has experts weighing in with advice for parents.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has suggested schools show their students the series, which focuses on toxic masculinity, loneliness and the gender divide.
It's something British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has already backed in the UK.
But what do young people think about it?
Should it be used as an educational tool in schools, or are there other ways to get the message across?
Ella, 18, says the series, though fictional, is very "confronting" and could shock younger teens.
"I feel like there's an age that you should be showing that," she says.
However, Emily, 16, believes in the old "show, don't tell" adage.
She says when the show first came out, it quickly became a conversation starter.
"It was definitely a lot of talk in my school with all my friends," Emily says.
"Have you watched this? Have you not? Yeah, a lot on TikTok as well.
"When I hear that someone hasn't watched it, I'm really surprised."
She says conversations have their place but nothing is as powerful as seeing the effects of misogyny.
"Showing is different, visualising it, actually seeing the impacts and violence and all of that," Emily says.
Imogen, 18, is also in the "show-it-in-schools camp".
"It's very educational," she says.
"It just shows how it is really like. It's … scary. It's like real life. It happens."
But there are some teens like Beau, 15, who think the show is too "dramatic" and their parents are taking it too seriously.
"They have seen it. Mum started saying stuff about the show and I can kind of see where she's coming from," he says.
"But I feel like the parents think about it a lot deeper than [it] actually is, and they take every meaning, every small thing in the show to heart."
He says though the show is trying to educate parents about cyberbullying and the online world that teens inhabit, the series has made it out to be "a lot deeper than it should be".
"I think it's a lot more dramatic than it is," Beau says.
"I don't think it should be shown in schools because it's not really too accurate. I don't see [much] of that stuff happening in schools."
The show, which gives insight to adults about the world of young people and online misogyny, is certainly popular.
According to Netflix, it has clocked more than 124 million views.
Child and adolescent psychologist Deirdre Brandner says it is important to remember that Adolescence is aimed at adults and is not a "teaching tool".
"This was a series made by Netflix to entertain adults," Ms Brander says.
"It wasn't a documentary series. It's not a learning series. It's not a teaching series.
"So there's a real danger in, yet again, asking our schools to take on responsibilities that they shouldn't have to."
Tom Harkin, co-founder and creative director of men's mental health service Tomorrow Man, agrees.
"As a standalone educational tool, no, I don't think it should be shown," he says.
Mr Harkin says some of the content would be challenging to watch in a classroom environment.
"I think taking the show as it is and watching all four episodes could be a dangerous one," he says.
"[Especially] if teachers are showing this within classrooms and they're not being equipped to understand the depth of the themes or the vicarious trauma that could be caused within the room."
Regardless of whether it is appropriate for classrooms or not, most agree the show can be a way to launch tricky conversations and bridge age and gender gaps.
Child psychologist Deirdre Brandner says parents lack insight into the online space, the natural habitat of the young.
She says that can be a barrier to open and honest discussions.
"Us parents, us oldies, did not grow up in the digital age … so we don't understand what's happening," Ms Brandner says.
Mr Harkin runs workshops with young people focusing on breaking down harmful gender stereotypes.
He says the lack of understanding between the genders also needs to be addressed.
"That's something that we should be paying attention to," Mr Harkin says.
"Why is it so shocking for adults to be hearing and seeing this and, yet, young people are kind of going, 'Yeah, that's the world that I am kind of in. They are the kind of themes that are going on', and obviously being impacted by them."
Mr Harkin says there is an "empathy gap" between the genders.
"We need to bridge the gender divide," he says.
"The disconnect between each other, it's going to have more really poor outcomes that I think we're all going to shed tears over.
"And it's not going to go away because Adolescence or the latest news piece falls out of the cycle."
Michael, 18, says he doesn't believe movies or TV shows are the right format to discuss topics like misogyny.
"But we should definitely be learning these things like we do about other stuff, like consent," he says.
"Because it is quite important."
Bella, 16, says it is not about dictating to men what to do but about teaching respect.
"I am not saying to the males: 'You do that, you do this,'" she says.
For Ella, discussions about the themes of violence and misogyny need to happen sooner rather than later.
"I think it is really important that it is taught early on," she says.
"That you are okay to talk and to have a meaningful, emotional kind of relationship with people around you."