• ‘It’s really important that this is understood to be a drama, not a documentary. In some of the discussions, the two are getting slightly confused,’ says clinical psychologist Elly Hanson

• ‘For some boys, that will pull them down a rabbit hole into incel culture. Many others won’t go that far, but they’re still hearing these ideas that just chip away at gender equality,’ warns Hanson

LONDON

The hit Netflix drama Adolescence has not only dominated streaming charts but also ignited a nationwide debate across the UK concerning youth safety, social media influence, and the surge of online misogyny – a debate that has reached the highest levels of government, including Downing Street.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer himself convened a high-level meeting in response to growing public anxiety about harmful online content, directly spurred by Adolescence’s nearly three-week run atop Netflix’s most-watched chart.

The four-part miniseries, co-created, co-written, and starring actor Stephen Graham, portrays a troubling narrative of a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering a girl in his class, depicting his radicalization through exposure to online content and so-called “manosphere” influencers.

Starmer publicly acknowledged that the program was “really hard to watch” with his own teenage children, remarking that the series “serves as a torch that shines intensely brightly on a combination of issues that many people don’t know how to respond to.”

However, he also cautioned that there was no easy fix – no “silver bullet” or “policy lever” – that could quickly solve such complex issues.

‘Key learning points are for adults, not for children’

Netflix has taken the unusual step of making the series freely available to all UK secondary schools through the Into Film+ streaming platform, a decision that has been broadly welcomed by the government.

However, the proposal to screen the fictional drama in classrooms has sparked concerns among educators and psychologists.

Elly Hanson, a clinical psychologist and researcher, warned that while the drama has successfully “sparked this huge national conversation,” there is a risk that it could be misinterpreted or misused within educational settings.

“It’s really important that this is understood to be a drama, not a documentary. In some of the discussions, the two are getting slightly confused,” she said.

In an interview with Anadolu, Hanson explained that the series portrays “a point on a continuum” of how young men engage with harmful online content.

“Many, many more boys and men are caught in the less extreme points,” she pointed out, referencing recent research involving over 1,000 boys aged 11 to 14.

“Between a fifth and a third (of them), within 10 minutes of going on social media, were seeing violence, sexual content, negative messages about girls and women, or content that made them feel bad about themselves.”

She raised particular concern about seemingly benign but subtly corrosive content, such as “gold digger” videos, which depict women as only interested in wealthy men. “It invites suspicion,” Hanson noted.

“For some boys, that will pull them down a rabbit hole into incel culture. Many others won’t go that far, but they’re still hearing these ideas that just chip away at gender equality.”

Hanson directly challenged the government’s emphasis on using Adolescence as an educational tool in schools.

“We must be really clear – why are we using it? What are our aims? What are the learning points for children?” she said.

“For me, the key learning points are for adults, not for children.”

Missed opportunity for meaningful policy?

Jack Thorne, the writer who co-created Adolescence with Graham, has publicly urged the prime minister to take more decisive policy action.

“The prime minister should rather urgently consider a smartphone ban in schools and a digital age of consent,” Thorne said, citing Australia’s recent legislation banning social media use for individuals under age 16.

Hanson echoed this urgency, criticizing what she views as ambiguous messages coming from the government.

“There’s a frustration that Keir Starmer does have the power to give us a safer internet for our children, but he’s saying he can’t pull the levers to stop this. Well, actually, he can,” she argued.

She further expressed concern about potential government backtracking on child protection measures. “What’s been really infuriating is that his focus is on showing this in schools at the same time as it looks like his government are possibly going to weaken the Online Safety Act to appease (US President Donald) Trump and big tech,” Hanson cautioned.

“There’s a worry that Britain’s hard-won efforts to regulate tech are being rolled back – and once again, all the responsibility is put onto children and their parents.”

The Online Safety Act, passed under the previous Conservative government, requires social media platforms to shield minors from harmful content, including pornography, self-harm materials, bullying, and stunts that encourage physical risk.

Although tech companies are required to adopt “age assurance technologies,” critics argue these measures alone are insufficient to counter the powerful algorithms driving social media platforms.

Encouraging children to connect with deeper values

Instead of solely relying on graphic media content to deter harmful behaviors, Hanson advocates a more profound, values-based educational approach.

“Teach children how social media is luring them into positions not necessarily aligned with their deepest values,” she suggested. “Help them understand the business model.”

She recommends documentaries like The Social Dilemma, which she praised as effectively combining expert insight and dramatized elements to teach digital literacy.

“What’s really important is that we help our children listen to, and live in line with, their deepest values,” she emphasized. “Most of us hold compassionate values, but as we grow older, we start to believe others don’t, and lose sight of them ourselves.”

While Adolescence has successfully sparked national conversations and even parliamentary discussions, significant questions remain regarding what concrete policy changes – if any – will emerge from these debates.

Hanson urged caution against a cycle of moral panic. “Every few years, we get worried about something – often, something we should be worried about – but then we try to scare the children. And it doesn’t help. It just makes them weary and disengaged.”