Adolescence

Adolescence – What now?

By March 26, 2025No Comments
It feels like everyone is talking about the new Netfilx series ‘Adolescence’.
It hit hard. It felt so real.
The show has set unprecedented records globally.  In the UK it has made history, becoming the first streaming show to top the weekly TV ratings.
Adolescence has served as a springboard for some very important conversations.  It’s a wake-up call – we simply cannot afford to stick our heads in the sand.  Our children are living in a complex landscape, fed by toxic, narrow algorithms that are completely and utterly out of our control.
When global events take hold: Covid & lockdown, George Floyd, Russia-Ukraine – Educating Matters spring into action to provide a space for open conversation, support and practical tools.
This feels like another one of those huge moments.
The battle this time is for our children’s souls.  We are fighting to protect their social and emotional wellbeing.
(As I write this, I am debating whether that sounds too dramatic but decided to leave it in, as it comes from the heart).
In the last few days, so many of our corporate clients have reached out asking how to address this topic.
Watching Adolescence shook something loose in me. I found myself sitting with a knot in my stomach long after the final scene. It wasn’t just the storyline. It was the haunting familiarity. The emotional weight that any parent carries when they see something on screen that hits too close to home.

This show tells the story of one boy’s actions.  But, the message is much broader than that. It shines a light on the world our children are growing up in, where power, pain, and identity collide in increasingly complex and confusing ways. It’s a story about silence, emotional isolation, and systems that fail young people long before anything extreme happens.

And here’s the thing:
This is not just a boys’ issue.
It’s a people issue.

Boys are being exposed to toxic messages about masculinity. They are often told, directly or indirectly, that emotion is weakness, dominance is power, and connection is optional.

They’re drawn into online spaces that seem to offer certainty and belonging—but often at the cost of empathy, nuance, and real self-worth.  Moreover, they are being asked to confront their sexuality in ways that their brains and maturity level are simply not developed enough to handle.

But girls are in this too. I see it in my daughters, and in the girls around them. Misogyny doesn’t just harm girls externally—it seeps inward. I’ve watched as some girls start to mirror the very content that objectifies them. I’ve seen them use misogynistic language to bully others, to gain status, to protect themselves. It’s a kind of social survival, internalising toxic messages as a way to stay in control.

Again, their development is not equipped to cope with the ramifications of the content they are being exposed to.

This is what the show didn’t say out loud—but what so many of us felt.
Our teens are growing up in a culture where cruelty is normalised, connection is fragile, and emotional fluency is rare.
And it’s terrifying.”

At Educating Matters, we have always believed in meeting these conversations head on to honour and witness the experience of parents in today’s world, whilst providing help and support to equip them to carry the implications of these experiences into a space where they can influence and start to incrementally impact the world of their families.

Here is our initial response with a one-hour session for organisations to hold internally:

Adolescence Online: Misogyny Matters

 

This session is for anyone who watched the show and thought, “What now?” It’s a space to explore—not just the fear and heartbreak, but the ways we can meet this moment with honesty, compassion, and practical tools.