I’ve seen vile videos on the dark web and now I can see where they lead, say teens after watching Adolescence drama
HIT show Adolescence has triggered a national debate and led to Keir Starmer saying schools should show it to kids to stop a toxic culture.
The drama follows the family of 13-year-old Jamie Miller, who is accused of murdering a female classmate after being brainwashed by harmful online content.
When The Sun on Sunday asked families with teenagers what they thought of the Netflix series, we discovered that, while it may be a parent’s worst nightmare, their kids found it terrifyingly realistic . . .
‘Some friends think Andrew Tate is cool. I’d never even heard of incels’
ADOLESCENCE focuses on incels — young men who are unable to find a partner and objectify and denigrate women as a result.
But Jack Greenberg, 15, says he had never even heard the term. He does know boys who follow Andrew Tate.
But he hadn’t recognised the potential harm until he watched the show with his mum and dad, managers Brioni, 53, and Sandy, 55.
Jack, from Pudsey, West Yorkshire, said: “I’m not into Tate, but all kids over the age of ten know who he is.
“He does a mix of videos telling you how to be a success. He is on TikTok and YouTube and seen by young kids, so you think he can’t be that bad.
“Some friends think he’s cool. I’d never heard of incels before this, so it was interesting to learn what they are.
“Watching Adolescence has made me realise that we need to think about who we listen to online.”
Brioni said: “I was really pleased that the show allowed us to have this talk with Jack.
“It is important that we keep having these conversations.”
‘I spend way too much time in my room on YouTube and Instagram’
COLLEGE student Oscar Danby, 16, has seen violent videos sent by online algorithms after stumbling on what he thought was the dark web.
The Bradford teen watched Adolescence with mum Sally, 57, a greeting card designer; his printer dad Chris, 52; and sister Isabella, 18, and said Keir Starmer is right to say young people should tune in.
He added: “I probably spend way too much time on YouTube and Instagram on my phone in my room.
“One time, I thought I got on to the dark web, where I was looking at really gruesome videos of horrible real-life violent incidents, fights and accidents.
“Since then, the algorithms have sent violent videos to my social media and I think it’s disgusting seeing this on popular platforms. I’m not even 18.
“From watching the programme, I can see how dangerous this is.
“Keir Starmer is right saying we should be watching this in schools, but he needs to do something about regulating harmful content and age restrictions.”
Mum Sally said: “I’m so glad that we watched Adolescence together and were able to talk about what he has seen.
“I’m hoping it will help us encourage him out of his room and into the real world.”
Student who didn’t realise dangers of online content
YEAR 11 student Grace Rowley thinks Adolescence shines a light on how dangerous it is to be exposed to content that can groom and warp young minds online.
The 16-year-old from Stoke on Trent, Staffs, watched the show with her mum, actress Solaya, 46, and dad DJ Chris, 46. She has a younger sister Ivy, eight, and five-year-old brother Harrison.
She says: “I didn’t realise just how dangerous this could be until I saw it on TV.
“Everyone at school is talking about the series and many of us are just like the teenagers in the show.
“There are girls who like to stir up trouble and there are good looking boys who make the less popular boys feel awful.
“There are kids in certain groups who make WhatsApp group chats or use social media to be awful and want to make a student feel bad or think they can wind them up.
“Many of the boys aren’t as emotionally grown up as the girls. If they feel rejected or misunderstood you can see them acting up or hiding from everyone else. And there are boys too who think Andrew Tate is great. There isn’t the same pressure on us girls.”
Mum Solaya says: “As a mixed-race mum I thought basic bullying and rowdiness were the big problems teens had to cope with. Now my eyes are wide open.”
‘I’ve seen Andrew Tate misogyny in real life’
ELOISE CATTON has witnessed boys spouting Andrew Tate-style misogyny.
The 17-year-old, from Leeds, watched Adolescence with her mum, teaching assistant Gemma, 44. She has two siblings, Oliver, 12, and Isabelle, nine.
She said: “Some of the boys in my school were horrible. When they were in a big group, they’d bully and terrorise anybody who didn’t fit in.
“They would shout Tate-type stuff to us girls, like, ‘Get back to the kitchen’, but we thought this was ‘rage bait’, that they were saying it to get a rise.
“Watching the programme has shown me it is not just making fun of the girls — some actually believe this stuff.
“I was surprised to see a boy like Jamie being more influenced by this, trying to be a big man because he wanted to be liked.
“Gareth Southgate is right that boys need better role models. I’m not sure why lads would want to be like Andrew Tate to get a girl because no girl likes him.”
Mum Gemma said: “Social media has a profound effect on young people’s mental health and self-esteem, and it saddens me that this is the reality for our children today.”