The hit Netflix drama Adolescence has sparked conversations around toxic online content and youth violence.
The show will now be screened in UK schools, ad UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he wants to talk about what we can do as a society to stop and prevent young boys being dragged into a "whirlpool" of hatred and misogyny.
But should Ireland follow suit in screening the programme in secondary schools?
Parent of three teens Deirdre in Wicklow told Lunchtime Live that she sees no issue showing the programme in schools, but that it needs to be part of a wider conversation.
“I think parents should watch it as well because it’s all very fine, the kids already know some of the stuff that’s going on,” she said.
“But we as parents are kind of left in the wilderness not knowing what way to go with all this technology.
“I said to my son because he watched it and I asked him about the emojis because I was like, ‘What is the story with the emojis?’
“He was very reluctant to explain... He kind of said, ‘Yeah, well, the blue heart means this’, and I was like, 'Oh, okay, I never knew any of that'.”
Deirdre said she felt she learnt more from the show than her son did when it came to the online world.
“I think going in and showing it in the school as a one-off thing I don’t think is enough,” she said.
“I think it has to be part of a much wider discussion and like, what happens? You show it in the schools and then what?
“I think parents need to be educated, I feel like we’re floundering in this sea of technology, we don’t know which way is up.
“New things are coming out all the time and our kids are being affected by them and we can see all the time how badly this is affecting their mental health, but I kind of feel at sea.”
According to Deirdre, the way the online world influences the story in Adolescence is part of a much bigger problem that parents need help to understand.
Main image: Adolescence. (L to R) Stephen Graham as Eddie Miller, Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller, in Adolescence. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix © 2024
