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The following contains spoilers for Adolescence, now streaming on Netflix. The following also includes mention of sexual assault.
There isn’t much to argue about when talking about how powerful Netflix’s Adolescence has been. It stirred up many important conversations about high schoolers, especially since the story revolves around a young boy named Jamie murdering Katie, a fellow student, after she rejected his advances.
Many people believe the point of the show is to monitor young men’s use of social media. They are privy to bad influences trying to show them how men should be, and how to react to women. However, the main crux of the show goes deeper than that, subtly explaining more figures are culpable.
Netflix’s Adolescence Spotlights How Toxic Masculinity Is Learned
Jamie’s Story Affirms Boys Online Find Scary Role Models
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On the surface, Adolescence addresses the vitriol online, whether it’s in gaming chats or even comic communities and forums. It’s also seen in sports chats as well, especially in Europe. This show has Jamie and other boys learning about the “manosphere” through videos put out by figures like Andrew Tate. They objectify women, dehumanize them, and tell impressionable men it’s okay to lash out.
Katie called Jamie an “incel,” so he processed it the wrong way. Jamie took Ryan’s knife, and committed the murder, but Ryan and the other boys bought into the same logic. It wasn’t revenge — to them, it was what apex predators should do in the food chain that toxic men perpetuate online. They see themselves as nice guys, but if people think they’re ugly, they should pay.
It’s evident with Jamie berating his psychologist, Briony (played by A Thousand Blow’s Erin Doherty), trying to force her to say he’s handsome. He needs validation, and doesn’t have his male peers around to give him that. No matter what, he keeps thinking he’s a gentleman and a good person who has been done wrong.
Sadly, this inner darkness is what the “manosphere” preyed on, uncaging a violent monster within who lacked empathy. But that’s just the action. Before the execution, the root cause must be analyzed as to why Jamie keeps internalizing this feeling that he’s diminished, invaluable and worthless.
Netflix’s Adolesence Makes a Point About Communicating With Children
Katie’s Murder Could Have Been Prevented If Many Parents Talked To Their Kids More
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The harrowing British limited series is filled with heartbreaking moments, and this detail makes everything sadder.
While most of Adolescence is about Jamie being arrested, processed and getting therapy, a lot has to do with the parents involved. The first is Detective Inspector, Bascombe (Ashley Walters). He leads the case and once he visits the school, his own son, Adam, educates him on the “manosphere” as well as gender culture in school. Bascombe is taken aback because he realizes how traumatized his son is.
In fact, he sees that he didn’t cultivate an open relationship built on honesty and transparency. Had he done so, Adam might have confided in him earlier about bullying at school, of nudes being leaked, of boys like Jamie and Ryan passing them around, and how some teens try to get girls to hook up with them. It’s blackmail, which Jamie manipulates to ask Katie out.
Ashley Walters Details
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Date of Birth |
Jun. 30, 1982 |
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Place of Birth |
London, England |
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Notable Movies |
All Stars, Billionaire Ransom |
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Notable TV Shows |
Missing You, Top Boy |
Bascombe begins to think Adam could have been Jamie or part of the crew. He’s horrified because he can tell that by just leaving Adam to pick up social media trends and learn about the “manosphere” on his own, he subjected him to something that could have corrupted him. As for Jamie, his father, Eddie, is distraught in the Adolescence ending, knowing he also didn’t have that bond with his boy. He ends up hugging his teddy bear in his bed once he learns his son will plead guilty. He is remembering the time they had and the time that will now be lost because he left Jamie on his own.
While Katie’s parents aren’t seen, the fact she bullied Jamie isn’t insignificant either, because it’s still part of a much larger societal problem. It’s equally about flammable catalysts affecting each other in dangerous scenarios. It’s something high school is built on: victims becoming aggressors, and vice versa. But the ecosystem can be better navigated if parents talk to their children rather than just leave them with digital devices. Parents need to supervise, not censor, which is something the Black Mirror TV show dives into as well.
Technology is a powerful tool, and children need the internet for academics. But if they’re left on their own, they can follow the wrong path, like Jamie and Ryan, and mishandle situations like Katie who didn’t report her image leaks. They could also be like Adam, who was reactive in the aftermath. If parents talk to their kids about the music, games and overall content they consume, they can help them better understand the consequences of their actions. Furthermore, they can show them they don’t need to worry about superficial peers or feeling inadequate.
Once they have love at home, the more toxic fragments of society won’t matter. That could have stopped Jamie from becoming a murderer at a young age, helped Katie process the crimes against her, and led Adam and Bascombe to spark conversations with the authorities proactively rather than reactively. Ultimately, Adolescence makes a point that all members of society — especially parents — have to stay aware of what is happening in their children’s lives and to be their source of guidance.
All four episodes of Adolescence are available to stream on Netflix.
