The creators of Netflix’s Adolescence have called for the series to be shown in Parliament and schools so it “causes discussion and makes change.”
The gripping four-part drama – which sees each episode shot in one continuous take – stars Stephen Graham as Eddie, a husband and father whose world is rocked when his 13-year-old son, Jamie (Owen Cooper), is arrested for the murder of a classmate.
In particular, the show looks at the negative impact social media can have on teenage boys, through Andrew Tate-style influencers and ideas such as the manosphere and incel culture.
The manosphere is a term used to describe parts of the internet promoting misogynistic ideas and opposition to feminism. Incels is short for involuntary celibate, and is a term used for men who blame women because they are unable to find a sexual partner.
Along with receiving critical acclaim, Adolescence has also shot to the top of Netflix’s streaming charts, becoming the most-watched title in the UK and US within a week of its release.
The series was created by writer Jack Thorne and Graham, who co-wrote the show.
Speaking to the BBC, the pair said they want Adolescence to be aired in Parliament and schools so that it can enact change.
Thorne said: “I want it to be shown in schools, I want it to be shown in Parliament. It’s crucial because this is only going to get worse.
“It’s something that people need to be talking about, hopefully that’s what drama can do.”
Thorne continued: “This is a show about a kid who does the wrong thing and causes great harm. To understand him, we have to understand the pressures upon him.
“Jamie has been polluted by ideas that he’s heard online, that make sense to him, that have a logic that’s attractive to him, that answer the questions as to his loneliness and isolation and lead him to make some very bad choices.
“We have to understand the things he’s been consuming and that means especially looking at the internet, the manosphere and incel culture.”
Graham said he had been inspired to create the series after reading about two separate stories of boys stabbing girls to death.
He told BBC Breakfast: “I read an article in the paper about a young boy who’d killed a young girl and a three weeks later I was watching the news and there was a story of a young boy who’d stabbed a young girl to death.
“It really hurt my heart, I just thought, ‘what’s going on in society where this kind of thing is becoming a regular occurrence?’
“I just couldn’t fathom it. So I wanted to really have a look and try and shine a light on this particular thing.”
Related: Sam Fender explains why young men are ‘seduced by demagogues like Andrew Tate’