An article by Richard James Rogers (Award-Winning Author of The Quick Guide to Classroom Management and The Power of Praise: Empowering Students Through Positive Feedback). This blog post is illustrated by Pop Sutthiya Lertyongphati.
A full bibliography of sources cited in this blog post can be found at the end.
The Netflix miniseries Adolescence has sparked widespread acclaim for its gripping storytelling and innovative production. However, as an educator and school leader, I believe it also demands a more critical lens. While the series raises important issues such as online radicalisation and so-called toxic masculinity, it does so through a narrative that often paints men as aggressors and women as victims, with little room for nuance or balance. In reality, many boys today are grappling with a deep sense of confusion and disconnection, lacking positive male role models and meaningful guidance. Masculinity, when expressed through integrity, service, and courage, has an essential place in our communities. Rather than vilifying young men, we should be supporting them. Adolescence offers a powerful starting point for discussion. Yet, we must go further toward a more compassionate, realistic, and inclusive conversation about what it means to grow up male in today’s world.
The Plot That Sparked a National Conversation
Adolescence tells the fictional story of 13-year-old Jamie Miller, played by Owen Cooper, who is arrested for the alleged murder of his female classmate, Katie Leonard. Told in a real-time, one-shot format, the drama unfolds over the course of a single day per episode, immersing viewers in Jamie’s psychological descent and the influences that shape his world (Netflix Tudum, 2025). Having seen all episodes myself, I can definitely speak to the excellent cinematography that has taken place: even if I don’t agree with the way that the series portrays certain aspects of modern life in Britain (more on that, later).
The show features a cast led by Stephen Graham and Christine Tremarco, portraying Jamie’s parents, and uses tension and claustrophobia to magnify the real-life pressures facing today’s adolescents (IMDB, 2025). The technical execution alone earned it acclaim as a “technical masterpiece” (Forbes, 2025), but its societal relevance is what has elevated it to educational importance.
The Manosphere and Digital Misogyny
At the heart of Adolescence lies a chilling exposure of the ‘manosphere’, which is portrayed as a cluster of online spaces promoting extreme and often misogynistic interpretations of gender roles. Andrew Tate, a prominent and controversial figure in these circles, is not directly portrayed but looms large in the type of online content Jamie consumes (Business Insider, 2025).
The dangers of such content are not fictional. Many teens fall into these digital rabbit holes unknowingly, encountering ideologies that validate resentment, blame, and aggression. (Independent, 2025). These online narratives offer simple answers to complex emotions that can be devastating when internalised by teenagers.
British Government Response and the Role of Schools
In response to the show’s impact and the wider societal issues it reflects, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a national summit on online safety, calling attention to the urgent need to combat the radicalisation of boys online (Sky News, 2025). Subsequently, the UK government has now partnered with Netflix to make the series freely available to all secondary schools across the country (Netflix, 2025).
Education leaders and safeguarding organisations, such as the Diana Award, have endorsed the show as a powerful tool to initiate difficult but necessary conversations around misogyny, online influence, and emotional wellbeing (Diana Award, 2025).
Classroom Applications and Resources for Teachers
For educators, Adolescence opens doors to a variety of curriculum-aligned conversations. Teachers can use the series as a gateway to:
- Discussions about media literacy
- Promoting respectful relationships and consent
- Exploring the psychological impact of digital echo chambers
- Examining the roles of empathy, family, and communication in teenage development
Organisations such as SecEd and Services for Education offer downloadable lesson plans and discussion guides (SecEd, 2025; Services for Education, 2025). See the bibliography at the end for links to these resources.
Critical Responses and Debates
Despite its success, Adolescence has not been without controversy. Some critics accused the show’s creators of “race-swapping” a story that echoed a real-life case. Co-creator Jack Thorne addressed these concerns, asserting that the series was entirely fictional and designed to address masculinity rather than race (Entertainment Weekly, 2025).
Others have raised concerns about the depiction of educators in the series. A piece from TES questioned why school staff were portrayed as unsympathetic or ineffective. While such portrayals may serve dramatic purposes, they also invite reflection on how schools can better support vulnerable students (TES Magazine, 2025). For educators outside of the UK, like myself, the series shines a light on challenges that UK teachers face on a daily basis, such as behaviour management, active engagement strategies (teachers are portrayed as showing videos to their classes a little too often, in my opinion) and safeguarding.
The Need for Nuance
Multiple commentators, including writers from The Guardian, stress the importance of addressing online safety in nuanced, evidence-based ways. Not every boy exposed to manosphere content becomes radicalised, and not every digital experience is harmful (The Guardian, 2025). Effective teaching and parental engagement remain the most powerful defences against dangerous ideologies.
A Call to Action?
More than just a fictional mini-series, Adolescence is (apparently) a wake-up call. It explores how easily young people can spiral when left unsupported (Harper’s Bazaar, 2025). Its release has catalysed national conversations, encouraged governmental policy shifts, and provided some educators with a compelling resource for classroom use, if they wish to use it.
For educators, the series offers a timely reminder: We are not only teaching subjects; we are guiding lives in an era where influence comes from both the classroom and the algorithm.
Final thoughts
As an educator with over two decades of classroom experience and a firm belief in the power of teachers to positively engineer a child’s future, I commend Adolescence for sparking a national conversation about the digital influences shaping our young people. However, while the show courageously tackles the rise of misogyny and online radicalisation, it misses a deeper and equally urgent reality. Boys today are crying out for positive identity formation, structure, and purpose. In casting men primarily as perpetrators and women as victims, the series presents a one-sided narrative that risks alienating the very demographic it seeks to help. Masculinity, when grounded in responsibility, courage, and empathy, plays a vital role in society. This is a message that is absent from the series but essential in any educational conversation about gender.
Let us not allow Adolescence to become another well-meaning yet unbalanced depiction of complex issues. Instead, educators should use it as a springboard for wider discussions. These should not only address the dangers of the manosphere but also highlight the value of healthy male role models, the pressures boys face, and the often invisible expectations placed upon them. From dangerous jobs to frontline rescue work, men continue to carry burdens that deserve recognition and not ridicule. As teachers, we must move beyond binary blame games and create classroom spaces that nurture all students, including boys, into becoming thoughtful, resilient, and compassionate individuals. That, after all, is the heart of great teaching.
Bibliography
AP News (2025) ‘Adolescence’ will be shown in schools across the UK to spark discussions about online misogyny. AP News. Available at: https://apnews.com/article/adolescence-netflix-starmer-social-media-children-smartphones-33b72293c431496e57c2ca16417a379d (Accessed: 5 April 2025).
BBC News (2025) Adolescence hard to watch as a dad, Starmer tells creators. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx28neprdppo (Accessed: 7 April 2025).
Business Insider (2025) Netflix’s ‘Adolescence’ is about a boy who kills a girl in his class. Available at: https://www.businessinsider.com/adolescence-netflix-true-story-knife-crime-manosphere-andrew-tate-2025-3 (Accessed: 5 April 2025).
Diana Award (2025) The Netflix mini-series ‘Adolescence’ is a wake-up call. Available at: https://diana-award.org.uk/blog/the-netflix-mini-series-adolescence-is-a-wake-up-call (Accessed: 5 April 2025).
Entertainment Weekly (2025) ‘Adolescence’ co-creator responds to claims that Netflix series ‘race-swapped’ storyline. Available at: https://ew.com/adolescence-creator-responds-to-claims-that-series-race-swapped-storyline-11706011 (Accessed: 5 April 2025).
Forbes (2025) Were those ‘Adolescence’ episodes actually filmed in one take?. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2025/03/18/were-those-adolescence-episodes-actually-filmed-in-one-take (Accessed: 5 April 2025).
Harper’s Bazaar (2025) ‘Adolescence’ Netflix true story explained. Available at: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a64234421/adolescence-netflix-true-story-explained (Accessed: 5 April 2025).
Huffington Post UK (2025) Why ‘Adolescence’ should not be shown in schools. Available at: https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/adolescence-should-not-be-shown-in-schools_uk_67ed946ce4b0b937ab8f6a92 (Accessed: 5 April 2025).
Independent (2025) How to talk to your children about ‘Adolescence’, incels and the manosphere. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/adolescence-andrew-tate-manosphere-how-to-talk-to-children-teens-b2726073.html (Accessed: 5 April 2025).
IMDB (2025) Adolescence (TV Mini-Series 2025). Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31806037 (Accessed: 5 April 2025).
Netflix Tudum (2025) Everything to Know About One-Shot Crime Drama ‘Adolescence’. Available at: https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/adolescence-cast-release-date-photos-news (Accessed: 5 April 2025).
Netflix (2025) Netflix makes ‘Adolescence’ available to all secondary schools across the UK. Available at: https://about.netflix.com/en/news/netflix-makes-adolescence-available-to-all-secondary-schools-across-the-uk (Accessed: 5 April 2025).
SecEd (2025) ‘Adolescence’: Resources to help teachers address themes in Netflix hit. Available at: https://www.sec-ed.co.uk/content/news/adolescence-resources-help-teachers-address-themes-netflix-hit (Accessed: 5 April 2025).
Services for Education (2025) Adolescence: What does it tell us and how can we respond?. Available at: https://www.servicesforeducation.co.uk/blog/safeguarding/adolescence-what-does-it-tell-us-and-how-can-we-respond (Accessed: 5 April 2025).
Sky News (2025) Keir Starmer hosts creators of Netflix’s ‘Adolescence’. Available at: https://news.sky.com/story/sir-keir-starmer-hosts-creators-of-hit-netflix-drama-adolescence-and-tells-them-hes-not-found-it-easy-viewing-13339287 (Accessed: 5 April 2025).
Slant Magazine (2025) Adolescence | TV Review. Available at: https://www.slantmagazine.com/tv/adolescence-review-netflix (Accessed: 5 April 2025).
TES Magazine (2025) Why does ‘Adolescence’ portray teachers so negatively?. Available at: https://www.tes.com/magazine/analysis/general/why-does-adolescence-tv-show-negative-about-teachers (Accessed: 5 April 2025).
The Guardian (2025) Adolescence review – the closest thing to TV perfection in decades. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/mar/13/adolescence-review-the-closest-thing-to-tv-perfection-in-decades (Accessed: 5 April 2025).
The Guardian (2025b) Online safety needs to be nuanced. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2025/mar/28/adolescence-was-hard-hitting-tv-but-online-safety-needs-to-be-nuanced (Accessed: 5 April 2025).
Time Magazine (2025) Netflix’s ‘Adolescence’ Explained. Available at: https://time.com/7267884/adolescence-netflix-explained (Accessed: 5 April 2025).
