The age of social media has transformed the world and is shaping communication, culture, politics, business, and even personal identity, today. Social media has also had a profound impact on mental health, especially among the youth and Gen Z, contributing significantly to anxiety, depression, self-esteem issues, cyberbullying and online harassment. A new British web series, Adolescence, that dropped on Netflix on March 13, has stunned the world by delving significantly and deeply into precisely this issue and how it impacts a 13-year-old boy and his family.
What is the show about?
Adolescence is the story of 13-year-old schoolboy Jamie Miller who is arrested for killing his classmate, Katie, by brutally stabbing her multiple times. At the outset, it might just seem like a knife crime that is typical of crimes in the United Kingdom and is increasing year-on-year in the country. Actor and producer of Adolescence, Stephen Graham, stated he was distressed by the news of several knife crimes where teenage girls were killed by young boys and couldn’t understand why this was happening in society. In fact, during the premiere of the series, Graham told the audience, “It really hit my heart. I just thought: ‘What’s happening? How have we come to this? What’s going on with our society?’”
But the web series is layered and as you dig deeper, you realise how social media contributed extensively to shaping 13-year-old Jamie Miller’s personality, self-image, self-esteem, fragile ego and the social isolation he eventually feels due to online bullying. The series portrays how constant exposure to negative online content can distort perceptions and exacerbate mental health issues, leading to destructive actions – like the murder of Katie. The Miller family is like any other average British middle-class family and Jamie is a smart young boy who does well in school. However, the digital media space swallows him whole despite the fact that he has loving parents and a sister who adores him. This begs the important question – do parents really know what goes on in their child’s life online and how it is impacting the child’s mental health?
A mirror to the world
The digital world has thrown open many new challenges for parents as well. Adolescence examines the difficulties parents – and society – face in addressing the pervasive influence of social media 24 by 7. Digital subcultures like the coded language of emojis, which Gen Z uses and parents can’t get their head around, could be detrimental and emphasizes the need for vigilance and digital literacy on the part of parents.
For instance, Jamie’s parents struggle to comprehend his online world and the signs of his radicalisation. This reflects a broader societal gap in understanding and mitigating the risks associated with digital engagement among youth. The youth become drawn to extremist ideologies, toxic online culture like toxic masculinity, misogynistic views and violence, and exposure to harmful content. This translates into the real world and presents itself in numerous ways, including crimes and murder. Jamie Miller portrays this so vividly in the web series and reminds us that children who seem extremely ‘normal and happy’ in the family, could have underlying seriously negative, destructive thoughts and issues, that one can’t even imagine, on the inside.
If the web series Adolescence terrifies parents – as it rightly should – it shows us that human relationships and interactions are all the more imperative today to keep everyone sane. The days of handing over an iPad or a tablet to kids to keep them occupied since parents are busy, should well and truly be over. In the digital age, human interaction is more important than ever because real-world connections provide emotional, psychological, and social benefits that technology cannot fully replace or provide. Technology cannot provide or replace the emotional depth and authenticity of human interaction. While digital tools can replicate emotional responses, they lack the depth, authenticity, and complexity of real human feelings. Thus, prioritising real-world relationships ensures better mental health, personal growth, and a more fulfilling life, for all – parents and kids.
Adolescence on Netflix is not just a masterclass in performances and filmmaking, it is a wake-up call to society that clearly says, ‘it could happen to your child’. The series calls for a deeper understanding and proactive approach to safeguarding the mental and emotional well-being of the youth in today’s digital world.
