Since its premiere on March 13, 2025, Netflix’s Adolescence has taken the world by storm, racking up 66.3 million views in its first two weeks and securing its spot as 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 stunned audiences with its one-shot filming and a harrowing 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 ignited fierce debates about youth violence and online radicalization. But its real power lies in the tough questions it raises for parents: How do we miss the signs? How do we raise kids in a digital age gone dark? Here’s how Adolescence is reshaping parenting—and a guide to doing it right.

A Mirror to Parental Fears

Adolescence unfolds in real-time across four relentless episodes, tracking Jamie’s arrest and the collapse of his parents, Eddie (Graham) and Manda (Christine Tremarco). Inspired by the UK’s knife crime crisis—18,500 offenses in 2023, per the Ministry of Justice—and the “manosphere” influence of figures like Andrew Tate, it’s a gut-punch of reality. Jamie’s not from a broken home—Eddie’s a plumber, Manda’s attentive—yet he spirals into violence, radicalized online after a classmate’s “incel” taunt. “We wanted a family you’d recognize,” Graham told Tudum, “so you’d ask, ‘Could this be us?’”

That question’s hit hard. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, after watching with his teens on March 22, 2025, called it “a wake-up call,” while its 42 million Week 2 views show its global echo. Parents on X are reeling: “How did they not see?” one posted. “My kid’s 13—I’m terrified,” another confessed. Adolescence doesn’t just entertain—it demands answers, and it’s forcing a rethink on raising kids right.

It feels like everyone is talking about the television series Adolescence, and for good reason, according to Australian parenting experts.

The gripping Netflix crime drama about a teenage boy accused of murdering a female classmate has been described as “a portrait of modern boyhood in profound crisis”.

While the series takes toxic masculinity, loneliness and the gender divide to its extreme, psychologists and parenting experts say it has sparked “a valuable conversation” for Australian households and schools.

So, what can parents do to address some of these big themes in their own homes?

How to talk to your teenager about the show?

While Adolescence isn’t based on a true story, its creators attribute the themes in the show to news stories about young boys being involved in knife crimes in the United Kingdom.

Queensland psychologist Dr Rachael Sharman says if you’re a parent or caregiver who’s watched it, you may want to better understand your teen’s views around topics such as masculinity, social media, bullying or pornography.

“What you need to tap into first is, what is their point of view? What are they hearing? What sort of idea or opinion have they formed at this point?”

“Teenagers are naturally very inquisitive, and they’re often quite interested in looking at all sorts of things from different perspectives.

“So actually helping teenagers consider things from a different point of view is a really helpful thing that you can do.”

Psychologists say Adolescence poses the question of whether parents are fully aware of what their children are doing online. (ABC News: Maren Preuss)

The Tough Questions

The series lays bare parental blind spots:

What’s on their screens? Jamie’s phone—emoji codes like 🔪❤️💪—hides his descent. Episode 2’s reveal stuns Bascombe (Ashley Walters): a digital world parents don’t grasp.
Do we really know them? Eddie and Manda miss Jamie’s “I’m ugly” cries, lost to online forums. “He’s just quiet,” they think—until he’s not.
Are we too late? By Episode 4, Jamie’s guilty plea shatters hope. Could earlier talks have stopped him?

These aren’t hypotheticals. Knife crime’s up, with 17.3% of offenders aged 10-17, per the House of Commons Library. Real cases—Elianne Andam’s 2023 murder, the 2024 Southport stabbings—mirror Jamie’s path. “It’s not one kid,” Thorne told The Guardian. “It’s a pattern.” Parents feel the weight—95% Popcornmeter love reflects their dread and determination.

How to Raise Kids Right

Adolescence doesn’t preach, but it inspires action. Experts, sparked by its 24.3 million four-day haul, offer a roadmap:

Crack the Digital Code: Dr. Sarah Mills of UCL told BBC News, “Know their apps—X, TikTok, Discord.” Jamie’s 🔪❤️💪 emojis signal intent; watch for 🔫, 🩸, 👊. “Ask what they mean,” she urges. A 2023 NSPCC report flags these as red flags—parents must decode them.
Talk Early, Talk Often: “Start at 10,” says child psychologist Dr. Emma Carter on Sky News. Jamie’s radicalization begins with rejection—Katie’s taunt—and Tate’s rhetoric. “Ask about friends, crushes, online heroes,” Carter advises. X posts agree: “My son opened up after we watched,” one dad wrote.
Spot the Signs: Jamie’s “quiet” masks pain. “Look for withdrawal, anger bursts,” Carter says. A 2024 Home Office study ties isolation to violence—parents must bridge it. “Dinner chats matter,” Tremarco told Lorraine. “Manda didn’t push enough.”
Set Screen Rules: “No phones in bedrooms,” Mills insists. Jamie’s late-night forum dives go unseen—lock devices at night. Starmer’s push for online safety laws, spurred by the show, backs this: limit exposure to Tate-style hate.
Build Resilience: “Teach them to fail,” Carter says. Jamie’s “incel” spiral stems from rejection—role-play tough moments. “My daughter’s stronger after we talked it out,” an X mom shared. Adolescence shows fragility kills—fortify them.

“There are certainly vulnerable points in [a child’s] development and vulnerable parts of the population that may be influenced in a way that can be quite surprising,” she says.

“What they’re trying to point out here is that there’s this new internet manosphere issue that is appealing to some teenagers.

“Then a very, very tiny number of teenagers will take that in a most dreadful direction.”

She says if you are concerned about your teenager’s behaviour or mental health, speak to your GP.

“That’s actually really important, because sometimes there can be biological or medical issues that manifest psychologically,” she says.

“What might be seem like tiredness or anger or emotionality is actually an underlying biological medical issue.

“And then once they’ve ruled that out, and they think, ‘maybe there is something psychological going on here’, they can help develop a mental health plan for you and get you referred to the appropriate psychologist.”

Addressing the issues with boys and girls

Dr Coulson says the show had such a profound effect on him that he is rewriting the final chapter in his new book about raising boys.

“Our boys are being robbed of the opportunity to develop into men unburdened by these destructive conceptions of masculinity,” he says.

His review about the show on social media has also had an overwhelming response.

“This is one of the biggest posts that I’ve ever had in terms of not just the number of responses, but the quality of the responses.

“People are really thinking about it in deep and nuanced ways and it’s wonderful.”

And he is quick to point out that the topics raised in the show are not just a conversation for men and boys.

“I’m going to be having the same discussion, if I’m talking to a daughter or a son,” he says.

“How do we have respect? How do we have kindness?

“I think we can remove gender, it’s a human thing and we’re just not teaching that to our kids.”

The Victorian Women’s Trust, an independent gender equality agency, is hosting a free webinar for parents next month discussing the rise of sexism and misogyny in Australian schools.

Executive director Mary Crooks says the event will highlight the work of Monash University in understanding the “manosphere” and being able to counter the ‘”sinister influence” of toxic masculinity online.

“Our constituency are largely women around the country, they’re in their 30s, 40s, 50s, they will have kids themselves,” Ms Crooks says.

“It’s really to try and lift the lid off the kind of problems that are occurring and offering some kind of practical guidance for where people can go for advice and support,” she says.

Where can you go if your teen needs help?

In the last episode of the show, the boy’s parents grapple with questions about whether they overlooked signs of trouble, including their son’s ‘terrible temper’.

Dr Rachael Sharman says parents need to remind themselves that the storyline in the show is not common.

 

The Show’s Wake-Up Call

Thorne’s plea—“I want it in schools,” he told the BBC—resonates. X fans demand change: “Parents need this guide,” one wrote. “It’s a manual,” another said. Youth workers, per a March 25 Guardian piece, use it to train families—decoding emojis, sparking talks. “It’s saving kids,” one said. A Manchester teen quit toxic chats post-watch, per BBC News, proving its pull.

Starmer’s “essential” nod ties it to policy—tighter platform rules loom. “We can’t ignore this,” he told Sky News, echoing Thorne’s “act fast” cry. The show’s 75-country reign and 95% audience score amplify its voice: parenting’s broken, but fixable.

The Emotional Toll

This reckoning’s raw. “The last 15 minutes wrecked me,” a Reddit dad posted, reflecting Eddie’s sobs and Manda’s silence. Graham, a father, told Rolling Stone UK, “It’s my fear—losing my boy to this.” Cooper’s “horrible” Episode 3 shoot, per Tudum, mirrors the stakes—real, relentless. “If it saves one,” Graham said, “it’s enough.” Parents feel that hope amid the horror.

A New Parenting Playbook

Adolescence, streaming on Netflix as of March 26, 2025, isn’t just a thriller—it’s a challenge. Its tough questions—screens, silence, signs—demand answers, and its 66.3 million views give them weight. “It’s not blame,” Thorne told Channel 4 News. “It’s seeing.” That clarity’s a gift: decode, talk, watch, limit, strengthen. Parents on X vow it—“I’m checking his phone tonight,” one wrote. In a world of 🔪 and Tate, Adolescence doesn’t just raise kids—it saves them, one tough lesson at a time.