Netflix Adolescence Review of Web Series

Media reports discussing the Adolescence web series motivated me to watch it on Netflix and review it. Since I publish articles related to kids, teenagers, young adults, and education on this website, I am writing its review.

In any school, 13-year-old students study and interact with each other and may socialize outside the school. Recall your teenage years and how you were as a thirteen year old!

What is in the web series Adolescence?

The web series Adolescence begins with detective Bascombe and his team arresting Jamie, the central character, a 13-year-old boy, for a crime involving a female classmate named Katie.

As viewers, we witness Jamie’s emotional turmoil, the police investigations, the psychological probe, the gender stereotypes and expectations, Jamie’s school community, the effect of social media on teenager psychology, his family dynamics and the impact on them.

Jamie’s online content consumption after school at late nights and interactions with school peers on popular social media platforms influence him deeply. Like any teenage boy, Jamie craves approval and acceptance and strives to appear masculine. 

Growing up, Freedom, Shame, Conforming, Masculinity and more

In the second episode, the police reach Jamie’s school to find the motive and the background story. That’s when I noticed how expressive, aggressive and angry the students were in school in the presence of teachers and the detectives. Jade, the victim Katie’s best friend, picks a physical fight with another student named Ryan at the assembly point.

In the scene where teacher Malik enters the classroom, students freely pass comments on the side. This scenario would be absent in an Indian classroom where students are well-behaved in the presence of teachers.

Detective Bascombe questions Ryan, Jamie’s classmate, to get more details. However, despite Bascombe’s attempt to get friendly with Ryan by talking about his school days, Ryan refuses to fall into the trap and just walks out of the room. Ryan and Detective Bascombe’s chat shows the focus on masculine behavior, anger, and fights in teenage boys.

Finding the Motive

Detective Bascombe’s son Adam, who studies in the same school gives a new perspective and insights about instagram posts, emojis, likes, comments and about “incel”. This revelation shows that Jamie was cyber-bullied by Katie and supported with “hearts” by others on social media. 

Before this, Adam informs Bascombe that there was one more incident involving Katie on another social media platform. Adam is also bullied by classmates despite his father being a police detective.

In the UK, where the show is set, students are shown using their mobile phones in school. Considering that the crime stemmed from the student’s misuse of social media and escalated to a gross crime, there is a need for regulation. How soon must students have the freedom to use online social media platforms?

In India, students do use the internet for their studies and learning. There is a stark difference in school and classroom culture between the UK and India. Indian students are respectful and well-behaved.

Though a similar incident in India is unknown, social media usage is a global phenomenon, so the show rings a wake-up call. 

The Teenage Brain

Psychologists say the teenage brain is underdeveloped, especially up until fifteen years of age. Such shows create more awareness of teenage sensitivity, their innate need for acceptance, social approval from peers and a sense of belonging. Gender stereotypes are strongly etched in society, and teenage boys are very conscious about conforming to these notions.

In the series, Jamie’s sister, Lisa, is balanced and well-adjusted as a young adult. This could indicate that girls manage their teenage turbulence better than teenage boys. Maybe, generally, girls find it easy to conform to their gender stereotypes as compared to boys. Yet, to begin with, the online mess involves Katie, and its ripples are felt offline. The purpose of this article is to highlight these issues that teenagers face and review the Netflix web series Adolescence.

Teaching 21st century skills

Considering the development of the teenage brain and concerns about the ethical use of the internet and social media, students must be generally controlled by school and parental restrictions on the use of social media. 

Moreover, creating more awareness of 21st-century skills will make a difference. Life is not the same as it was in the last century. So, these skills must be developed in school kids across all national and state education boards.

Technology, information explosion and social media have changed the way we work, live and socialize. This has passed on to children, too, because firstly, they may use technology for learning and secondly, they see their parents and others use social media. 

Creating digital literacy and awareness about cyberbullying will help kids think critically about using the internet and social media. This is included in the new National Education Policy that will be implemented fully step by step in the coming years. 

Regulating Social Media Usage

Decide an age limit when children can start using the internet and social media with either parental supervision or independently. Parents have to discuss this in the era of digital dependence, while schools and counselors have to guide parents and children on this topic. This will help avoid internet misuse and distraction.

So, if you are concerned after seeing this web series, as a policy maker, educationist, educator, parent or social observer, then know that love, acceptance, regulations, ethics, values, human connection, and guidance has to be retained in the school culture and outside.

Retaining Indian Culture

If you are an Indian, read this.

Over and beyond teaching 21st-century skills to the current AI-era kids, spiritual and cultural upbringing must continue despite both parents working, nuclear families and busy schedules of school-going kids. As a society, our Indian belief in righteousness, brotherhood, solidarity, and retaining the strength of the family unit must continue.

The essence of Indian culture must be nurtured in the present and future generations. Indian culture is complex because it is diverse in languages, religions, regional differences in traditions, food, etc. 

Despite the diversity, there are strong common threads of our culture, such as coexistence in diversity, strong community ties, spiritual and religious values, respect for elders, a sense of compassion and responsibility towards others, and so much more. 

Spirituality is deeply ingrained in Bharatiya Sanskriti, and we must retain that in a materialistic world so that values are retained. Natural elements are worshipped, and we see God in everything. Gratitude, compassion and ethics are important in our land of Shri Ram, Gautam Buddha and Guru Nanak Dev.

Useful Books

If you are a school librarian, here’s an idea. Purchase at least 5 copies of each book for issuing. Organize an interactive discussion with middle and senior school students. Invite the school counselor and IT teachers as resource persons. 

Discuss topics of mental health, social media usage, digital citizenship and others. Display these books in a special display section and give a small introduction about the content of these books. If you have any anchor charts on these topics, then display those as well and discuss those ideas. Hope this review of Adolescence, a Netflix web series, is helpful to you. Kindly share it with your community.

Here are the books:

Hug Yourself: Body Positivity and Empowerment Stories for Teenagers

Published by Penguin, edited by Vinita and illustrated by Priyanka Paul, this 272-page book (4.5 stars) has stories for today’s teenagers dealing with body image issues. Sixteen authors, including Nandini Nayar, Vibha Batra, Harshika Udasi and others, have written the stories in this powerful anthology for teenagers.

So, if you are a teenager or have a teenager at home or students in school, then this book is an essential read.

Positively Teenage

Published by Franklin Watts, written by Nicola Morgan, this 208-page book (4.5 stars) is a useful guide to build positive self-image, clarity, determination, growth mindset and much more. 

The book contains do-able strategies for teenagers and quick ideas for taking action to develop new understanding, self-confidence and flourish.

Young Mental Health

Published by Simon and Schuster (India), this 304-page book (4.5 stars) is written by Amrita Tripathi and Meera Haran Alva and has a foreword by leading adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Amit Sen.

The book has some graphics and has real experiences shared with unique Indian situations and difficult-to-discuss conversations too. It provides insights into Indian societal pressures and that which gives stress to teenagers. 

Concluding Thoughts

In the dynamic, turbulent and happening time of the teenage years, sensitivity, mindfulness, support, connection and counseling are life-savers. These keep our teenagers away from misadventures and crime. The web series Adolescence on Netflix focuses on several aspects, and as an Indian, I have attempted to give my perspective in this review.

There is discussion and mention of this series among people as they are trying to understand and find solutions. Some people feel children are growing up too fast and their innocence must be retained. Later, they have to grow up, so why disrupt their life with too much too soon?

In the series, there was one school counsellor, but even then, the students didn’t sort out the matter with her help. One way could be not waiting for students to reach out or see some visible symptoms. Instead, counselors reach out to each student and hold regular mental health workshops. 

For sure, this series has issued a wake-up call to society and the education system at large. We can find solutions, and there still are rays of hope. Do share your thoughts below in the comment box.