Parental advice regarding Adolescence on Netflix

The Netflix show Adolescence has sparked a lot of discussion amongst students and staff which is brilliant. Understandably, some parents are concerned following the difficult themes contained within the series such as misogyny, pornography, rage, incels, social media and mental health struggles.

Following guidance from various sources we’ve put together some advice for parents. 

The key takeaway from Adolescence is that you MUST be aware of what is going on in your child’s digital and physical lives.

• Parents/carers must check their teenagers phone and internet usage (either until you are satisfied they are using it properly or until they reach an age where it feels appropriate for them to have free reign). Make sure Screen Time/Family Link is set up on devices so you can limit time/access to certain websites and apps. Help them to set healthy boundaries for online behaviour.
• Parents/carers must consider if their child is resilient enough to have full access to the internet and social media. Consider age restrictions for certain apps. Young people are exposed to a lot of mature content on social media – is your young person ready to see this?
• Make sure any social media accounts are set to private.
• Limit screen time and encourage more face to face interactions and time together as a family. Eat dinner together or go for a drive or a walk and talk about your day. Ask what made them laugh, what made them sad, one thing that they’re proud of from the day. Model talking about your emotions and show them that it’s OK to talk about them too. Encourage open dialogue, be supportive, and allow space for exploration.
• Don’t allow young people to have phones in their bedrooms overnight. If your young person is insisting they need it for their alarm then an alarm clock will do the same job.
• Parents/carers must be made aware, seek out information and truly understand the impact of smartphones on developing brains (We recommend you watch Channel 4s Swiped).
• Parents/carers must continue to place boundaries around their teenagers behaviour, routines and habits.
• A reminder that parents/carers will need to be resilient to the mood swings and backlash that putting in boundaries to protect their children may cause. Remember you’re doing it for the greater good.
• Know where your children are at all times. Download Life360 and make sure phones are charged before they go out and location tracking is kept on. Most young people with Snapchat allow their peers to see where they are at all times (on Snap Map) so there is no reason why parents shouldn’t be able to see their location too.
• Parents/carers must still prioritise those same essential aspects of a day especially when it comes to teens. Sleep, routines, fresh air, one to one interaction, meals together as a family. These things are all vitally important for hormonal, developing adolescents. Encourage independence within limits, stay engaged, and be patient as they grow.
• Acknowledge how hard it can be and how thankless it can seem when raising teenagers. No matter how grown up they appear, they still require the same level of parenting, it just looks a little different now and can be more challenging.

If you feel that your child needs some more support with any of the issues raised then please get in touch with their form tutor or Director of Learning.

Mrs Scott
School Counsellor