Adolescence: A series parents must see

Before watching Adolescence, I didn't know the meaning of the word "incel." Googled it, and I found that "incel" refers to a member of an online community of young men who believe they cannot attract women sexually—usually connected with negative or hostile views toward women and sexually active men.

I'm a young professional and active on social media. I use several platforms, and interestingly, I belong to what we call the Generation Millennial. Still, I didn't know what "incel" meant. So just imagine—what about older generations, like our parents? Not only in Bangladesh, but also in many parts of the world, parents are often unaware of the dynamics of social media platforms, online slang, or Gen Z language, or the psychological trauma they go through while heavily using social media platforms.

So, how will they guide their children properly? How can they protect them from harmful behaviour or crime? Is it even possible to monitor children all the time?

Very recently, I watched the Netflix series Adoloscence (2025) directed by Philip Barantini. In this series, Jamie's father thought his son was safe because he usually stays in his room using the computer, mostly playing games. But in reality, Jamie ended up killing one of his classmates.

After watching the series, many questions came to my mind. I'm not married yet, but I already wonder—how will I raise and guide my future child in this digital or "visual" era or information age? It's 2025, and social media platforms are becoming more accessible and user-friendly every day. In a few years, they'll be even more deeply connected to our daily lives, making it harder to protect children from the risks of social media or digital crimes.

A few days ago, I talked to a mother about this series. She told me she is afraid to watch Adolescence because she has a young son, who is growing up and will soon be a teenager. Her son is already a little addicted to the internet. Why are so many parents worried after watching the series—or even without watching it? Why am I concerned, even though I don't have a child?

Netflix's Adolescence is a small web series, divided into four episodes. Each episode is filmed in one continuous shot, which creates strong emotions as the story unfolds. The protagonist of this series is a 13-year-old boy, Jamie Miller (played by newcomer Owen Cooper), who is arrested on suspicion of murdering his classmate.

The first episode shows Jamie entering the criminal justice system—being questioned, fingerprinted, and moved from room to room.

In the second episode, we see how the investigation progresses when Detective Inspector Bascombe visits Jamie's school. His own son, Adam, also studies there. Adam helps his father understand the hidden meaning of some emojis that Katie (Jamie's classmate, who was killed by Jamie) sent Jamie on Instagram, which may point to cyberbullying. This case brings Adam and his father closer.

In the third episode, Erin Doherty plays Briony Ariston, the psychologist assigned to assess Jamie. Jamie says he asked Katie out after her topless photo was shared on Snapchat as a form of revenge porn. He claims he wanted to make her feel better, but she rejected him and sent emojis mocking him. Jamie says Katie falsely called him an "incel," referring to the online group of men who are angry about not having sex. The show suggests that Jamie killed Katie because his feelings were hurt.

The fourth and final episode focuses on how Jamie's arrest affects his parents. It takes place on his father Eddie's birthday. But the day is ruined when Eddie discovers his work van has been vandalised. His family tries to cheer him up. On the way back home, he receives a phone call from Jamie in prison. Jamie wishes him a happy birthday and says he will plead guilty to killing Katie.

At home, his parents talk about what they could have done differently to prevent this tragedy. Eddie keeps telling his wife there was nothing more they could have done, that they couldn't watch Jamie every second.

The last part of Adolescence was heartbreaking. I couldn't hold back my tears. It made me realise how helpless parents feel in the digital age, trying to protect and guide their children. Jamie, the young actor, gave a strong performance, but it was the parents in the final scenes who truly broke my heart. Their pain, words, and expressions felt so real.

Adolescence raises important questions about how to protect children from harmful online content and toxic masculinity. The show became popular at a time when there's growing concern about children's use of smartphones and the easy access to pornography and violent or misogynistic content—not only in the West but also in developing countries like Bangladesh.

Yes, the show has some limitations. But I am not here to talk about the use of lighting, camera angles, or cinematography. My focus is on the content of the show.

We are now living in an era of "information capitalism." In this digital age, many influencers on YouTube and Instagram use their platforms to spread harmful messages, often reflecting neoliberal values and power structures. Interestingly, Adolescence was released just as it was reported that Kyle Clifford—the crossbow killer—had searched for misogynistic podcasts and watched Andrew Tate videos hours before killing three women.

According to the newspaper report, Tate, who has millions of young followers, calls himself "Top G" (G for gangster) and presents himself as a symbol of success. But many people believe he is a dangerous influencer who encourages men and boys to be violent towards women.

The internet has both good and bad sides. It can be empowering and educational, but it also has a dark side. Experts often talk about the "manosphere," a group of online communities that spread hate toward women, trans, and non-binary people. In the show, Jamie is labeled as an "incel" and becomes a target of cyberbullying. Later, we also see how he tries to control his female psychologist through mocking and insults.

The series was filmed in the UK, where violent behaviour among young people—such as stabbing, bullying, and even mass shootings—is becoming more common. But this is not just a Western problem. In Bangladesh, we see similar patterns. On Facebook Reels, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok, many influencers share content filled with misogyny and hate. These videos are often shared widely, and teenagers are influenced by them. It's not just a social problem—it's a psychological one as well. Children today are more impatient and emotionally unstable.

I shall provide an example from my recent experience to contextualise what time and space our children are living today in Bangladesh. In the middle of a cold night last winter, a 13-year-old English medium schoolgirl silently left home while her parents were sleeping. Even though it was very cold, she collected an ice cream bar from the refrigerator and a few taka for the rickshaw, and drove far away, never to come back. She walked the rest of the cold night in the city streets, and when she became too tired in the wee hours, she took shelter beside a door of a small house. The man from the house, while coming out for the morning prayer, found her dizzy and coiled to whither cold. Going through such pressure, she forgot the location of her parents' abode and even her father's phone number. Thus, the kind man took her inside and then delivered her to a nearby police station. Her parents took her back from there. I personally know this decent family closely. She was saved! What really happened is this: She was bullied by her classmates many times, and then finally she took a challenge of 'truth and dare' play and whimsically left home. This is not an isolated incident. It has become rampant today thanks to the many social media platforms adolescents are using today.     

This series also points out how different older and younger people are with technology. Jamie's father is a good example of the older generation who aren't comfortable with digital things. It's important for parents today to become tech-savvy themselves. They need to know about apps like Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, because their kids spend much of their time on them.

Raisha Jannat is a Newsroom Editor at Somoy TV.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.