Adolescence Short Series

Since the short series Adolescence came out on Netflix, it seems like everyone has something to say about it. Experts are writing articles, people are criticizing social media, and many are calling for it to be banned for children. But instead of really trying to understand the problem, we're missing the bigger question: what are adults here for, when it comes to children?

We are not here to forbid, ban, or control everything. That doesn’t teach anything. Our role is to guide, to teach children how to use tools, including social media, safely and wisely. Simply banning something never protects them in the long term. But helping them develop awareness, boundaries, and emotional intelligence? That’s what truly empowers them.

Now, when I watched Adolescents, I found myself uncomfortable not because of the film-making which, by the way, was excellent in creating a sense of presence and intimacy, but because of the message. The story didn’t sit right with me. The way the boy ends up killing the girl, with such violence, didn’t feel believable, given the context of their family.

Yes, in the final episode, the father says he had been working a lot. But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a connection. Plenty of parents work long hours and still maintain a deep bond with their children. And the fact that the boy chose his father as his legal representative shows that some connection, some trust and care, was still there. He showed empathy.

For a young person to commit such a violent act, stabbing someone multiple times, there usually needs to be a deeper history of trauma. Consistent neglect, abuse, or emotional abandonment. If you’ve read The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog, you understand what kind of childhood experiences can lead someone to lose their capacity for empathy to that degree. But in this series, we weren’t shown that kind of history. So to me, it just didn’t feel true.

The director clearly wanted to make a point about social media, painting it in a very dark light. And yes, social media can be harmful, but it’s not the monster here. It’s just a tool. The real question is: how do we as adults teach our children to use it in a healthy way?

In the end, the only part of the series I truly appreciated was the craft. The way it was made, the visual style, the immersive atmosphere, was impressive. It drew you in. But as for the story and the message behind it, I believe we need to look deeper, ask harder questions, and remember the real role we play in our children’s lives.