Netflix's 'Adolescence' Ignites Global Debate on Teen Isolation, Online Dangers, and Rising Violence

We live in a world that looks very different for kids today than it did for their parents this month the hit Netflix series adolesence

captured this very difference.If you watched the show you know what I'm talking about if you haven't let me give you a preview.In one episode a detective is investigating why a 13-year-old boy killed his female classmate he tracks their instagam interactions based on it he assumes that these two children were friendly that is until his son who's a teenager himself tells the detective that he's got it all wrong when the Emojis shared between the teenagers seemed innocuous,but they were actually a coded form of bullying. This is a dizzying realization for the detective and for the viewers of the series and this disconnect is Central to adolescence. This is a hard-hitting drama it shows the aftermath of the stabbing of a teenage girl in the UK it shines light on the corrosive impact of social media. It explores how the ideas of online influencers like the self-described misogynist Andrew Tate shaped the views of children hooked onto their phones .It also talks about the impact of the so-called manospere this includes online forums that oppose feminism and promote sexism .The show explores a range of interconnected issues and it has gripped the world it has attracted 66 million viewers the world over that's about the population of France within its first week of release adolescence made history in the UK with about 6.5 million viewers the series has sparked a global conversation even the British prime minister was talking about it. Netflix has made an announcement the drama will be aired across schools in the UK children in secondary schools will be able to watch it for free and starmer  has backed this decision . After all adolesence is not about one fictional innocent looking boy who was driven to do something horrific ,it shows that what happened in this series Could Happen anywhere is happening anywhere and everywhere here are some headlines from last year a 17-year-old stabbed three little girls dead at a dance class in the UK two teenage boys were stabbed to death and the murderer gloated about it on social media two 15-year-olds were arrested for killing a teenager by stabbing her 28 times there are hundreds of cases like these and not just in the UK from Albania to India it's happening everywhere .The question is why and the answer is not straightforward but part of the problem is isolation children are increasingly becoming lonely about a third of them are lonely the world over mental health cases are on the rise so children are no longer safe in their own rooms as they appear at screens forces exploit their vulnerability the devastating effect of misogyny on our society very powerful the dangers of online radicalization and this sense of young people being on their own very often in their bedroom or wherever is isolated with that online radicalization children are impressionable what they see is what they learn unfortunately in today's world this means content on the internet which is often hateful violent and sexist according to a poll in the UK 80% age are of 16 and 17 year old boys consume content by Andrew Tate in contrast only 60% have heard of their own prime minister this may sound appalling but 56% of Young Fathers approve of Andrew Tate now to give you context this is the same man who's gone viral with his rants about male dominance. He has openly advocated violence against women .He  has been banned from every major social media platform and yet his ideas have taken root in the minds of countless children even boys as young as five so when impressions are made at such a young age we know what comes next deep fake porn of girls made by their classmates cyber bullying misogynistic chants by children and sexism across schools spurred by social media it is

like a horror show and children everywhere are at risk but there is no Silver Bullet to fix this like we said this is not one problem this is a broad cultural issue it is about how Society views women .It is about the sheer lack of Regulation. It is about playing catchup with technology . This is a problem that needs both awareness and policy change. Policy makers can talk about it but it's about time that they take up the Baton and do the work.