Adolescence, the four-part Netflix series created by actor and writer Stephen Graham, has sparked international debate and introspection.
But is that debate addressing all the right issues?
The manosphere, incels, and social media platforms have grabbed the headlines but these are only manifestations of the much deeper malaise the show so artfully explores.
For anyone not yet familiar with the series, Adolescence explores the fallout from the shocking murder of a schoolgirl by a 13-year old, male classmate. In four hours of compelling and gripping television, we follow police, teachers, parents, and friends as they try to understand how a seemingly amiable young boy could commit such an appalling crime.
And yes, undoubtedly the show offers a powerful warning about toxic online spaces and platforms. We (at least, the uninitiated) learn how Instagram is being used for below-the-radar bullying, about the pernicious influence of Andrew Tate, and how sex and sexual imagery is being weaponised by young people barely in their teens.
But we also witness men struggling to relate to their sons, teachers battling to maintain control of under-funded schools, and a psychologist breaking-down as they try to connect with and understand Jamie and his psyche.
In short, it’s complicated and the point is surely that an act as brutal as child-on-child murder deserves a more thorough deconstruction than headlines could ever convey.
So, what can we learn?
Firstly, that society is struggling to find space for boys who don’t “fit” the traditional model of masculinity.
Jamie’s Dad, Eddie, channeled his son into typically “male” exploits like sport but then felt deep shame when he turned-out to be a less-than-able footballer. That shame clearly left its mark on Jamie who shares a painful anecdote about how his dad would turn away in embarrassment when he made yet another mistake on the football field. The message, as far as Jamie was concerned, is clear – his failure to live up to a typical model of masculinity left him unworthy.
It’s this desperate need for status that people like Tate feed off. Their appeal comes from the fact that they are able to tap into something visceral – the sense of being understood, needed, and valued.
At the end of episode three, Jamie pleads for more time with his psychologist. He begs her to tell him that she likes him. It’s a desperate cry echoed by many young people – especially boys – across the world who just want to be heard and included. We need to be providing young people with the skills not only to identify this need in themselves but also to meet it but through their own internal resources and through healthy relationships with friends and family.
A major step in this direction could be achieved by universalising access for young people to compassion cultivation and other forms of social and emotional learning – as pioneered by, for example, Emory University, Frankie Maratos at Derby University, Marcela Matos, Karen Bluth, Kathryn Lovewell, and others. These courses give young people the insights to understand their emotions and a toolkit for managing them.
But this cannot be done in isolation. It has to be part of an education environment that is safe, welcoming, and inclusive and prioritizes the emotional growth of young people and their teachers. Jamie’s school is portrayed as anything but. When the police visit in episode two – hoping to learn about his character and conduct – they quickly realize that it’s impossible to individualize his behaviour or attribute simplistic causation to him alone in an environment which is virtually feral. Teachers are under-resourced emotionally and practically and sit precariously on the verge of either a violent outburst or complete and utter breakdown.
This portrayal, though fictional, is based on some difficult truths. We know that teacher stress, anxiety, depression, and burnout is increasing around the world. Causes include underfunding, spiralling workloads, and laddering and league tables. Globally we need to see a radical swerve towards cultures which value and support those in caring and nurturing professions – like teaching – and recognize that resourcing them means resourcing ourselves.
Which leads to another lesson from Adolescence – the importance of community. Reflecting in the final episode on their possible culpability in Jamie’s crime, his parents speak about how they chose not to stop him spending so much time on his computer because, squirreled away in his bedroom, he was, so they thought, “safe”. In many ways, screens have become a refuge for kids and parents alike.
And that is not their fault. In recent decades, urbanisation, underfunding, and privatisation has led to an encroachment on green spaces, community meeting points, and the cutting of social activities for young people. If we’re to reduce the amount of time young people spend on social media – and we should – then we ought to build an alternative place in the real world that they can go to and go to safely. Governments everywhere should be making the revitalization of community, connection, and relationships a core part of their agenda.
None of this to take away from the very obvious and urgent need to take on the power of social media companies and influencers like Tate. Hate crime should be penalised. Harmful content removed. Algorithms reformed. But all of this will become much easier if we quench the fuel – the hate, the division, the conflict, the confusion and isolation – that feed them.