‘Adolescence’ made free for secondary school streaming

Writers of the four-part series and Prime Minister Keir Starmer have agreed pupils should be educated on the shows contents.

When Adolescence first premiered on Netflix last month it quickly became the most watched streaming television show in the UK, with 66.3 million views in its first two weeks. However, unlike most trends, the hype only grew bigger.

The show follows the story of 13-year-old ‘Jamie’ who murders his classmate ‘Katie’. Though bleak, the contents barley focuses on the killing itself but rather delves into problems surrounding social media and ‘manosphere’ influencers.

From today (Tuesday 1^st April) the series has been made free for secondary schools to stream on Into Film+.

‘Adolescence has captured the national mood, sparking important conversations and helping articulate the pressures young people and parents face in today’s society,’ Anne Mensah, Netflix’s Vice President for UK Content explained. ‘We’re incredibly proud of the impact the show has made and are delighted to be able to offer it to all schools across the UK through Into Film+. As part of this, healthy relationships charity Tender will create resources for teachers and parents to help them navigate the important topics the show explores.’

The announcement follows a roundtable discussion led by Keir Starmer who said ‘as a dad, I have not found it easy viewing’ and that the drama was so powerful because it shows the events in it ‘could almost happen to anyone’.

‘It instantly connects with the fears and worries, not just of young people…but also frankly the fears and worries of parents and adults across the country,’ he continued.

‘Perhaps there isn’t one silver bullet response, some policy lever that can be pulled, it’s actually much bigger than that, almost a cultural issue.’

Alongside Keir Starmer charities including the NSPCC, Movember, Beyond Quality, Children’s Society and a young person who shared their own experience of becoming immersed in similar, damaging online content.

Co-writer of the show, Jack Thorne also attended the meeting. He told ITV News the meeting was extremely needed and added: ‘I hope it leads to changes, I hope it leads to things happening at schools and at home to challenge this behaviour.’

Photo by kyo azuma via UnSplash 

In related news:

Everything you need to know about the national Our Life Our Choice conference

Emirates’ Aircrafted KIDS initiative uplifts 700 students