Since its electrifying premiere on March 13, 2025, Netflix’s Adolescence has seized the spotlight, racking up an astonishing 66.3 million views in its first two weeks and claiming the title of the UK’s most-watched streaming debut ever with 6.45 million premiere viewers. The four-part British crime thriller, co-created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, has mesmerized audiences with its one-shot filming and a haunting tale of 13-year-old Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper), accused of murdering his classmate. With a 98% Rotten Tomatoes score and dominance over charts in more than 75 countries, the series has sparked intense conversations about youth violence and online radicalization. But for one mom, the show’s chilling realism was too much to bear—until her next move turned fear into action, earning her widespread praise. Here’s the inspiring story of a parent who faced Adolescence head-on in a way that’s resonating far beyond her living room.

A Global Hit That Hits Hard

Adolescence unfolds across four relentless episodes, tracking Jamie’s arrest and the devastation of his parents, Eddie (Graham) and Manda (Christine Tremarco), in real time. Drawing from the UK’s knife crime surge—18,500 offenses in 2023, per the Ministry of Justice—and the “manosphere” influence of figures like Andrew Tate, it’s a raw reflection of today’s youth crisis. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer dubbed it “essential viewing” after watching with his teens on March 22, 2025, while its 42 million Week 2 views underscore its global grip. Critics hail its “unflinching” power, but for parents, it’s a mirror to their deepest fears—Jamie’s a normal kid from a normal home, lost to a digital abyss.

That terror struck Lisa Harper, a 38-year-old single mom from Manchester, harder than most. “I couldn’t watch it,” she told the Manchester Evening News on March 25, 2025. “I’ve got a 14-year-old son, Liam, and the trailer alone made me sick—knives, police, a boy like mine.” Yet, her next step transformed dread into something extraordinary—and it’s winning her applause from every corner.

From Fear to Action

Harper’s admission came after friends urged her to see Adolescence, buzzing about its 95% Popcornmeter score and real-world stakes. “They said it’s a must,” she recalled, “but I kept picturing Liam in that bedroom, arrested.” The show’s premise—Jamie’s radicalization via online forums, missed by his attentive parents—hit too close. Knife crime’s real in Manchester—2024 saw a teen stabbed near her son’s school, per Greater Manchester Police. “I was too scared,” she said. “What if I saw something I couldn’t unsee?”

Then came her bold move. Instead of avoiding it, Harper sat Liam down on March 23, watched the first episode together, and turned it into a lesson. “I told him, ‘We’re doing this so we talk,’” she explained. Post-episode, they dissected Jamie’s spiral—emojis like 🔪❤️💪, Tate’s rhetoric, the “incel” taunt. “Liam didn’t know half of it,” she said. “He thought Tate was just a loud guy online.” By the end, they’d set rules: no phones past 9 p.m., open chats about his digital life. “He showed me his X posts—💪 stuff,” she noted. “Now I check.”

Praise Pours In

Harper’s story went viral after she shared it on X: “Too scared to watch Adolescence alone, so I made my son watch with me—best decision ever.” The post, tagged #ParentingWin, racked up 15,000 likes by March 26, 2025. “This mom deserves a medal,” one user replied. “Turning fear into teaching? Genius,” another wrote. A teacher commented, “We need this in schools—she’s ahead of us.” Even Owen Cooper’s mom retweeted, adding, “Proud of you both!”

Local press amplified it. The Manchester Evening News dubbed her “the mum every parent should emulate,” while BBC Radio Manchester had her on air, where she urged, “Don’t hide—watch with them.” Online parenting forums lit up—“She’s my hero,” a Reddit mom posted—praising her guts. “It’s not easy,” Harper admitted, “but Liam’s safer for it.”

My Takeaways from ‘Adolescence’

The show has already garnered critical acclaim and has even been called “a masterpiece.” But I can’t dissect it as a film critic or aficionado. Instead, I want to share some of my initial takeaways as the parent of an adolescent and elementary schooler.

We’re All Accountable

Jamie doesn’t have a troubled childhood. His parents love him—and each other—and are hard-working, everyday people. This was intentional to highlight how easy it is to place blame on the parents, but the why is often a combination of factors.

Graham shared some of his inspiration for Adolescence in an interview with Jimmy Fallon: “You know that beautiful saying it takes a village to raise a child? Well, I just thought, what if we’re all kind of accountable? You know the education system, parenting, the community, the government, and [social media].” Parents are only part of the equation; we all have a stake in raising the next generation.

Kids Today Are Speaking a Language I Don’t Understand

While Gen Z and Gen Alpha slang is the subject of countless TikToks and articles, Adolescence made me realize there’s so much beyond ‘Sigma‘ that I don’t understand. In the school episode of the Netflix series, we learn about the coded language of emojis and phrases that equate to bullying. But it initially all goes over the detectives’ heads, which feels relatable and alarming.

A Ripple Effect

Harper’s move aligns with Adolescence’s mission. Thorne told the BBC, “I want it in schools—parents too,” eyeing its 24.3 million four-day haul as a megaphone. Starmer’s “wake-up call” nod pushes policy—tighter online rules—while youth workers, per a March 25 Guardian piece, use it to spark talks. “She’s living it,” one said. Liam’s shift—he ditched a 🔪-heavy group chat—mirrors a Liverpool teen’s post-watch reform, per BBC News.

Experts cheer too. Dr. Emma Carter, a child psychologist, told Sky News, “She faced the fear—that’s gold. Kids need guided exposure.” A 2023 NSPCC report backs this—teens open up when parents engage, not avoid. Harper’s “watch together” tactic’s now a model—X posts like “Doing this tonight” prove it’s spreading.

Kids Are Not Safe at Home

One of Haidt’s viewpoints echoed throughout Adolescence: We have overprotected children in the real world and underprotected them in the virtual world. Anyone can influence our kids through the devices in our homes, especially behind closed bedroom doors. We must be equally diligent about their safety in the digital space.

Your Kid Is Affected, Even If They Don’t Have a Phone 

My husband and I have been standing firm on a “no smartphone until high school” boundary for our kids, ages 12 and 9, despite them both wanting one. Right now, they have an Apple Watch and Gizmo, respectively, and so they can contact us if needed, and my middle schooler can text her friends.

But just because they don’t have their own phones yet, their environment still means exposure to social media and more—from friends with phones to their YouTube algorithm feeding them something I would deem inappropriate. In addition, just last school year, we received a concerning email from the 5th grade teachers that some students brought up notorious misogynist Andrew Tate in class, and the teachers had to address the topic. Tate and the ‘manosphere’ are also mentioned in the show. Which leads me to my next takeaway…

The Show’s Raw Power

Adolescence thrives on this intimacy. Graham told Tudum, “It’s your family—that’s the terror.” Cooper’s “horrible” Episode 3 shoot, per Tudum, and Graham’s sobs in Episode 4 hit parents where it hurts. “I cried,” Harper said. “But it opened Liam’s eyes—mine too.” Its 75-country reign and 95% audience score amplify its pull: a story too real to dodge.

The Boys Are Not OK

My algorithm has been taken over by Adolescence content since watching the series on Netflix. So I stumbled upon a post from someone I follow and admire, boy mom and Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani. After watching Adolescence, Saujani wrote she “has been thinking a lot about the current crisis of boyhood, masculinity, and fatherhood” and that the fact that there’s a show like Adolescence means the “crisis has gone mainstream.”

“Frankly, I don’t know what the solution is!” she added, yet “I know what kind of culture I want for my sons: I want them to be tender and strong. I want them to have positive male friendships based in openness and empathy… and I want them to challenge the structural inequities girls face without wondering if boys are worse off for it.” We can’t ignore the struggles of our boys, even if we don’t have the solutions just yet.

I Wanted More of Katie’s Story

We also can’t ignore the injustices done to female victims, which female detective sergeant Misha Frank alludes to in Episode 2, “The perpetrator always gets the front line… We’ve followed Jamie’s brain around this entire case. Katie isn’t important; Jamie is. Everyone will remember Jamie; no one will remember her.” We don’t see the hole Katie left behind in her family and friends, except through a powerful scene with her grieving best friend, Jade. Perhaps this is an intentional illustration of Frank’s point.

What Can Parents Do

Kindle Our Kid’s Spark

On a positive note, I also clung to something DS Frank said in Episode 2 of Adolescence. Kids just need one thing they think they’re good at—and one good teacher—to get them through those tough adolescent years at school.

Why She Deserves Praise

Harper’s not just a mom—she’s a pioneer. Facing a show too scary to watch, she turned it into a shield. “I’d rather be scared with him than clueless alone,” she told the BBC. That bravery—mirroring Manda’s blind love, Eddie’s late rage—resonates. “She’s saving her son,” an X dad wrote, “and teaching us how.” Her rules—screen limits, talks—tackle the 17.3% of knife offenders aged 10-17, per the House of Commons Library.

A Parenting Wake-Up

Streaming on Netflix as of March 26, 2025, Adolescence isn’t just a hit—it’s a call. Harper answered, trading fear for action, and the world’s applauding. “If it saves one,” Graham told Rolling Stone UK, “it’s enough.” She’s proof—one mom, one son, one watch party that’s rewriting the rules. Praise? She’s earned it—and then some.