Recently, Netflix released a four-part mini-series named Adolescence. The story starts with police entering the house of the Millers to arrest their teenage boy for the murder of his 13-year-old classmate Katie. In the first episode you will feel bad for Jamie and hope that in the further investigation he will be proven non-guilty because there’s no way that this innocent and scared boy is capable of doing such a thing.
But this is not your regular crime thriller. Jamie did kill his classmate and the bigger question is WHY?
The show deals with various complex issues like : cyber bullying, toxic masculinity, teenage psyche, impact of social media on teenagers, parents bond with their children, a false sense of dominance.
This week, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he wants to see it shown in high schools, framing it as a cautionary educational tool against the toxic “manosphere”.
As a father, watching Adolescence with my teenage son and daughter hit home hard.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) March 31, 2025
We all need to be having these conversations more.
I've backed Netflix's plan to show the series for free in schools across the country, so as many young people as possible can see it.
The sandwich scene
One of the most powerful and intense scene of the series is when a child psychologist visits Jamie. She offers him a sandwich which has some ingredients that Jamie dislikes. This scene depicts whether he will eat the sandwich to be polite or rejects it which should provide some insights to his psyche.
Incel
This word is used multiple times in the series and it means a member of an online community of young men who consider themselves unable to attract women sexually, typically associated with views that are hostile towards women and men who are sexually active.
Even the language that adolescents use is different than what we perceive. There has been use of different words and even emojis hold a different meaning for them.
Key takeaways
There is a whole lot of different scenario for teenagers these days and it has become very important for parents and schools to have effective communication with them. Aware them about bullying, communication, identity, sensitivity towards another gender.
Watch the series and dive into the world of adolescence with a different perspective.
