“Adolescence”

Photo by Alexander Shatov (Unsplash)

After opening with a massive 24.3 million views in its first four days, Adolescence pulled in 66.3 million views in its first two weeks streaming on Netflix, a record for a limited series. The Times in the U.K. called it the “TV drama every parent should watch,” adding that it “exposes the dark side of teenagers’ online lives. It might be the most frightening show you watch all year.” The Times goes on to write:

Since Adolescence dropped on March 13 it has been hailed as one of the best and most socially urgent shows of the year, garnering near universal praise and five-star reviews. It works as a gripping human drama in a heavily localised setting but also a socially conscious one of the kind we haven’t always come to expect from a US streaming behemoth such as Netflix.

They’re not wrong.

Adolescence begins when the home of the Miller family is broken down by armed police who rush in and arrest 13-year-old Jamie on suspicion of murder. Specifically, the death of a female classmate who was stabbed with a kitchen knife the night before. Each episode is shot in a single take, ensuring that the weight of the unfolding events are felt in real time. It perfectly captures the fear of the young boy (who wets himself during the arrest), the horrified shock of the parents, and the routine nature of the police doing their job.

The writing and pace are riveting, the acting superb, the story… devastating. You quickly discover that Jaime did, indeed, kill his classmate. What you don’t know is why. And it is the “why” that is so riveting… and terrifying. Without giving away twists and turns that would qualify as spoilers, suffice it to say that when – on the advice of his solicitor – Jamie refuses to give the police the password to his phone, we know it must hold the key. 

And it does.

In our day, it would for any adolescent’s life. It is the window into almost every aspect of their lives.

From there, Adolescence explores the world of adolescence: bullying, inappropriate messages, sexually explicit material, the warped influence of the incel community (men who see themselves as involuntarily celibate and rail/rage against women online), and the propagation of their misogynist ideas within the “manosphere.” The show reveals the “grim arithmetic” of the incel worldview, which is the belief that 80% of women are attracted to just 20% of men, so boys/men must manipulate (abuse?) girls/women if they want to find sexual partners.

Further, and most frightening, it explores the canyon-like divide between what parents believe they know about their child and the reality of who that child has become. A divide created and nurtured by the “segregated world” of teenage online discourse. Laid bare is how young children – and these are children – are being exposed to images and ideas that would have been unthinkable to earlier generations. As a result, they are filled with confusion and self-doubt, anger and rage, brokenness and helplessness.

In the U.K., the show has transcended water cooler conversations. It has set off a robust discussion about whether the government should limit a child’s access to smartphones so that they are unable to access harmful content. Those who had been campaigning for a phone ban in schools have seen a significant uptick in support. The British screenwriter and playwright behind the show, Jack Thorne, wants more: he wants them to pass a law banning young people from accessing social media until they are 16 years of age (something Australia has already done).   

One of the strong points of the series is that it doesn’t lay the blame on technology alone. Jaime’s school is underfunded, understaffed, and what staff they have are largely disinterested in what takes place there. The police are largely ignorant of the online teenage world, even down to what various words and emojis mean. And, of course, there is every parent’s worst nightmare: How oblivious they can be to what their child is not only exposed to,

… but also capable of.

James Emery White

Sources

Selome Hailu, “‘Adolescence’ Sets Netflix Record With 66.3 Million Views, Best Ever Two-Week Total for a Limited Series,” Variety, March 25, 2025, read online.

Alex Marshall, “‘Adolescence’ Has People Talking. Its Writer Wants Lawmakers to Act.” The New York Times, March 28, 2025, read online.

Ben Dowell, “Adolescence: the TV Drama That Every Parent Should Watch,” The Times, March 13, 2025, read online.

Sarah McCammon, “Ashley Walters of ‘Adolescence’ Discusses Working with the Cast, Parenting Sons and Internet Culture,” NPR, March 22, 2025, read online.

Caitlin Moran, “Adolescence Is Really About Dads in Crisis—Not Teenage Boys,” The Times, March 24, 2025, read online.