Adolescence is the new Mr Bates vs The Post Office – and it could change laws

Adolescence is the new Mr Bates vs The Post Office – and it could change laws



Posted by theipaper

16 comments

  1. Last year,[ ](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/six-ways-post-office-victims-are-failed-3456516?ico=in-line_link)ITV’s [*Mr Bates vs The Post Office*](https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/six-ways-post-office-victims-are-failed-3456516?ico=in-line_link) series finally forced the Government to address the [post office scandal](https://inews.co.uk/news/parliament-launch-inquiry-post-office-horizon-scandal-compensation-delays-3351517?ico=in-line_link).

    Now [*Adolescence*,](https://inews.co.uk/culture/adolescence-plot-cast-filming-locations-and-episode-guide-for-stephen-graham-netflix-series-3580059?ico=in-line_link) Netflix’s searing drama about youth violence, looks set to emulate its impact.

    Already being called “the drama of the year”, *Adolescence* has jolted Whitehall into a renewed pledge to tackle violent and misogynistic content online, after ministers acknowledged that its story exposed “troubling” truths. They said nothing was off the table when it came to efforts to protect young people.

    Sir Kier Starmer endorsed the series, telling MPs at PMQs that he is currently watching *Adolscence* with his 16 year-old son and 14 year-old daughter – even though the drama has a 15 age rating due to its disturbing content.

    “It’s a very good drama to watch,” said the Prime Minister, adding that violence and misogyny carried out by young men who are influenced by what they see online is “a real problem.”

    Described as a “[call to action for parents and teens](https://inews.co.uk/culture/adolescence-true-story-inspiration-netflix-3585752?ico=in-line_link)”, *Adolescence* follows the aftermath of the stabbing of a teenage girl, with a 13-year-old boy from her school arrested for her murder.

    Devised by actor Stephen Graham, who plays the boy’s uncomprehending father, *Adolescence* won five-star reviews, soaring straight to the number-one slot in Netflix’s viewing chart in the UK and 70 other countries.

  3. “Should we encourage parents and extended family to play a more active role in a child’s life? No, let’s just pass more unenforceable laws that try to censor the internet. Because that’s clearly worked so far!”

  4. Why, one is based on reality and the other is a work of fiction? Also murder is already a crime. Can’t really legislate for it.

    Where as the post office scandal is a miscarriage of justice in a scale rarely seen before which the government can actively address.

  5. Honestly one of worse tv programmes I’ve seen this year so far imo

  6. I feel like there’s a lot of poor interpretations in this thread. I work in education and I felt it was about how young boys are slipping through the cracks. That there are teachers that care (the one crying when the girl left the classroom) but teachers who are too burnt out (Mr Malik). Good parents who love and care about their children but aren’t aware enough of the online world to have a good understanding of what their kids are consuming. I took away from this show that it was no one’s fault, but a perfect mix of circumstances. We don’t know the long term effect of unfiltered internet access from a young age and this was a bright boy with friends who still felt he was behind and this is so common.

  7. Adolescence is an excellent piece of television grounded in very real and current events. It’s a truly gut-wrenching watch that hits alarmingly close to home but is so important that it exists. I’m glad it’s getting as much attention as it is.

  8. I’m probably gonna get flamed but this show would have been more realistic if it was set in Croydon and the family was black.

  9. I’ve enjoyed the show, but it’s super cringe in places. The idea that the police and schools have no idea about use of emojis and incel culture. The teachers come across as almost comedy characters at times

  10. What many don’t like to accept is that people like Tate are quite good at diagnosing social problems – in this case the systematic way boys and men from particularly lower class backgrounds have been demoralised, sidelined and encouraged to hate themselves.

    Of course, the problem is that his solution to the diagnosis is awful, and simply sends them down an even worse path.

    But until more responsible people are willing to step into the void, people like Tate will hoover these disenfranchised men up.

    And we may cheer that Tate got his comeuppance, but there’s a thousand other men just like him picking up his fan base.

  11. I remember when that boy stabbed a girl on the bus becuase her friend rejected him. And people say the show is exaggerating

  12. The first episode was good but it was all down hill from there.

  13. What a load of propaganda! Because white British school boys are totally the biggest concern in the country right now…

  14. Finding it challenging to get through and not because of the subject matter

  15. For me it was very well done. I have a family member who’s fallen down the Andrew Tate, manly men, vaguely incel path and it’s incredibly difficult to cut through all the shit he sees online and reason with him. Idolising the worst of celebrities.

    The show itself is written brilliantly. The pacing is amazing. The real-time unfolding is a good choice and the first episode had me gripped for the entirety. The casting is spot on and I have to tip my hat to Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne as the creators.

    Anything like this should be compulsory viewing for any policy makers on internet safety. At the very least you would hope it gets them talking more about it.

  16. Instead of dealing with the actual macro issues, an economy so broken young kids are becoming so hopeless they are not engaging, their parents working all possible hours to try and keep up with ever increasing costs for the basics, a destroyed health system that means any young people that may need actual mental health support can’t get it and an education system that cannot keep up with advances in tech fast enough, changes in young people and parents behaviours that don’t align or support the schools. Also next to no real repercussions for anti social behaviour. It’s easier for a govt to “ban this” or “criminalise that” because it makes for easier headlines

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