mixed feelings - netflix drama adolescence in schools
Young actors in rehearsal for Man Up.
Peer Productions is currently touring my new play Man Up to schools in Surrey and neighbouring counties - it's a play about being a boy and becoming a man and it's designed to start a conversation in the classroom about dangerous gender stereotypes. The play, which is delivered together with an extensive teachers’ pack, was informed by research from UCL and Kent universities which highlights the ways in which social media algorithms prioritise extreme misogynistic content in young men's feeds. The feedback from both teachers and students has been overwhelmingly positive with many expressing a new understanding and an increased ability to discuss these challenging issues. We are delighted that young people are talking about these issues which are negatively impacting so many young lives.
However, when I heard that the extraordinary Netflix drama Adolescence was being made available for schools to use free of charge, I have to admit I had mixed feelings. Before I explain, let me start by saying that I agree with so many other people who have seen it - it’s a total MASTERPIECE! It is an astounding piece of television which is compelling and engaging and is an absolute feat of brilliant story telling and technical expertise. Jack Thorne is an incredible playwright and screenwriter who has an incredible ability to bring young voices to life. I first encountered his writing in the play Bunny, a one woman play in which a teenage girl chronicles her experiences growing up in Luton. He’s also the writer behind the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and and numerous TV dramas including, most recently, the critically acclaimed Toxic Town. Adolescence is co-written by actor and producer Stephen Graham who, in an industry which feels like it is becoming increasingly homogenised, stands out as a powerhouse championing working class voices. The entire cast are exceptional and the complexity of shooting each episode in one take is a technical triumph. I am sure it will pick up BAFTAs and other accolades and it deserves to. It’s brilliant!
BUT…
I am not sure whether watching this drama will necessarily help young people, especially young men, who are grappling with the issues which Adolescence confronts. It was not designed as an educational resource and nor should it have been. Without extensive follow-up work and discussion I fear that the intended message could get lost. This is not to take away from the expertise of brilliant teachers who could definitely use Adolescence, which many of their pupils may have already seen, as a starting point for meaningful discussion but, considering the well documented pressures teachers are under and research that suggests that personal social and health education (PSHE) is often underfunded and de-prioritised in a curriculum which is hyper focused on academic success, I do feel concerned that many schools will lack the capacity to build the resources needed to ensure that watching Adolescence positive positively impacts their schools.
Most of the people I have seen suggesting that showing this drama in schools is a bad idea seem to be suggesting that, showing young people bad behaviour might risk normalising these behaviours and the ideas that underpin them and, at worse, could result in copycat behaviour. Some of these critics seem like they want to protect young people and to be suggesting that young people won't encounter extreme behaviours or ideas on their social media feeds, in their communities and even on the evening news. Having worked extensively with young people, I definitely would not advocate for sweeping these issues under the carpet and avoiding the conversation. My concerns about young people seeing Adolescence in a school setting, without extensive wraparound education, are more nuanced than that.
Critical thinking skills - As much as we might like to, it is extremely difficult to protect young people from all potentially harmful content. Instead, what we need to do is arm young people with the thinking skills to assess whether something they are watching is truthful, accurate or well intentioned. With so much content available to young people, they are encountering an endless stream of data and do not always have the critical thinking skills to be able to understand what they are consuming. In Man Up, I have hard baked demonstrations of critical thinking into the structure of the play with the actors slipping out of character and discussing, analysing and debating what the audience have just seen. The teachers’ pack too invites the audience to think critically about the events in the play.
Young actors in rehearsal for Man Up.
A pessimistic view of young men with a lack of hope - Adolescence is a brilliant drama, but it does not offer a particularly optimistic view of young men nor does it leave the audience with any sense of hope. One of the dangers of sharing this material with young men, many of whom already feel very negatively about themselves, without an extensive wraparound, is that it could risk them only becoming more entrenched in their self loathing views. The events of the drama are shocking and heartbreaking and there is nothing in the narrative that really offers any suggestions for how this could be changed. As The Safer Scrolling Report (UCL and University of Kent) explains, ‘It is essential to include boys in discussions regarding online misogyny and developing critical digital literacy. This includes pedagogical interventions that champion youth voice, promote positive role models and are educative rather than providing a punitive response to boys’ behaviours.’ There is a risk that, if shown without context, young men might feel preached at or demeaned and some may double down on their dangerous negative views about women and girls, become less likely to speak openly, and become more inclined to join underground online communities. One of our aims in making Man Up was to find the light in a very dark subject matter and to offer young people a narrative where things can change for the better. This includes a character called Tommy who, with his friends’ support, abandons his incel inspired views in favour of a more balanced perspective.
Asking the wrong questions - I have seen a great deal of discussion from parents who, after seeing Adolescence, asked their teenage children if they were familiar with the specific emojis which are referenced in the drama. When they discovered that their children were unfamiliar with these symbols, they breathed an understandable sigh of relief. However, to my mind they haven't asked their children the right questions. As the Safer Scrolling Report explains, ideas that were once only expressed in underground discord servers have infiltrated more mainstream culture with misogynistic and inaccurate views about both men and women prevalent in social media discussions, and this may not include specific references to incel culture or the ideas or symbols associated with it. The symbols are just one way in which these ideas can infiltrate the mainstream, and just because a young person is not familiar with those symbols it does not mean that their life is not being negatively impacted by these types of ideas.
This is not an article which is designed to sell Man Up in favour of showing Adolescence (although we are making a digital version next month!) but more to draw attention to the nuance and care that is needed to really help young people to digest these complex issues and make good choices for themselves, their friends and those around them. I could not be happier that Adolescence has brought these issues to the surface but we need to take a well considered and thoughtful approach to supporting young men, which showing the drama without additional resources will not achieve.
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