If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by the current state of the world or fearful about what the future holds, call or text 988 for immediate, confidential, 24 hour support from trained crisis counselors.
Here on the ClubX Blog, we are always paying attention to culture that is for teens or about teens, and dissecting what we need to know. For the past couple of weeks, one of the top shows on Netflix globally is a series called Adolescence, which sounds right up our alley. In case it hasn’t come across your radar yet, in this post we will give some information about the show and the issues it addresses.
This four-episode limited series is centered on a 13-year old boy named Jamie, who is arrested for the murder of a girl classmate. We witness the fallout of his arrest on his peers, law enforcement professionals, and his family. It’s deeply moving and a technical marvel- each episode was shot continuously in one take, which gives it a really immediate feel. As of this writing, it has an incredible 99% rating on the review site Rotten Tomatoes, indicating that critics are big fans.
Without spoiling too much (although there’s not too much to spoil really, this is more about witnessing the character development), we learn that Jamie has been engaging with extreme misogynist views online, with a controversial yet popular with many young men influencer named specifically. While it affects all genders, young men and boys have been targeted by the “manosphere,” a network of online spaces and personalities that promote rigid ideas of masculinity and misogynistic stereotypes about women. Young people can be especially susceptible to these ideologies, as they purport to offer “answers” to some of the common questions and problems of adolescence, and create a sense of community around these supposed grievances.
While some of the drama is certainly heightened since it is after all a television show, I found it to still be emotionally powerful and overall an effective look at the most extreme consequences of online radicalization. Clips from episode 3, which features Jamie speaking with a child psychologist, have gone viral because of how real and disturbing it feels. The speed with which the young actor portraying him switches between intense and vulnerable is shocking, but also recognizable for anyone who has worked with tweens. The episode is worth watching on its own even if you don’t complete the full series.
The show has been making headlines, not only for the great performances and filmmaking, but for the compelling subject matter. For some, it is the first time they are hearing about these kinds of toxic online spaces and how they affect the lives of youth today. In the show, Jamie’s parents were unaware of the information he was encountering online, and in another scene, a police officer investigating the crime is educated by his own son. The proliferation of video content delivered through algorithms, starting with Youtube and now including Instagram Reels and TikTok, have spread misogynist, discriminatory views worldwide, reaching nearly everyone with a smart phone.
It’s not realistic to hide young people away and shield them from the worst parts of the world. Instead, those of us who work with young people have a responsibility to stay in the know about online youth culture so that we help them identify what is harmful and how to avoid it. We can do this through building supportive, trusting relationships and regularly engaging in open dialogue about how youth are feeling, what they are concerned about, and watching for warning signs that they may be falling into extreme viewpoints so that we can intervene. Introducing youth to advocacy, so that they can be empowered to address the issues they face, can also be a powerful antidote. Club staff and volunteers can serve as models of compassionate strength, empathetic leadership, and confident kindness, showing that there are ways to have influence that lifts up others instead of bringing them down. Read more about ways to combat the online radicalization of youth in this previous ClubX Blog post, including links to program resources for Boys & Girls Club staff:
Adolescence is not an easy watch to be sure, I found myself getting emotional especially during the last episode, focused on Jamie’s family, but I do think it is worth the time. Though fictionalized (and if I have to give a tiny bit of criticism, the episode with the police officers does feel slightly high-budget afterschool special at times), the issues it depicts are all too real. I do not recommend showing it in afterschool spaces because of the controversial nature of the content, but if the teens you work with say they have watched, consider engaging them in conversation about what they thought, and if they’ve encountered some of the same online messaging the teens in the show dealt with. And if other adults in your life who don’t work in afterschool mention it, use the opportunity to tell them about the challenges faced by young people today and how they can support nonprofits like Boys & Girls Clubs and other youth development programs that can make a difference.
If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by the current state of the world or fearful about what the future holds, call or text 988 for immediate, confidential, 24 hour support from trained crisis counselors.
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