Short read: From the police to the prime minister: how Adolescence is making Britain face up to toxic masculinity

Whilst the implications of social media on impressionable minds is well documented, things are only getting worse. A new Netflix series shows how influencers on social media are driving teenage boys into toxic masculinity and misogyny. In Britain, this apparently has resulted in several crimes committed by young boys on girls and women. The series is hard hitting and has received global acclaim both for the message it delivers as well as its creativity.

“The series has won widespread plaudits both for its tour de force performances – expect all the cast to be in the mix for major acting awards next year – and for its technical virtuosity. Each episode is filmed in one hour-long continuous take, without any cuts, edits or CGI. The camera never leaves the action, adding an immersive tension that suits the unflinching content.”

But the impact of the message is far greater than its cinematic brilliance:

“The show’s star and co-creator Stephen Graham was originally horrified by a spate of violent incidents across Britain in which teenage boys committed deadly knife crimes against girls. The actor said these shocking stories “hurt my heart” and asked of him: “What’s going on in our society where this kind of thing is becoming a regular occurrence?” He teamed up with screenwriter Jack Thorne – a regular collaborator who has worked with Graham on such acclaimed British dramas as This Is England, The Virtues and Help – to create a potent drama interrogating this distressing trend. Thorne says they wanted to “look into the eye of male rage”.

The gritty, emotionally charged result follows the working-class Miller family from Yorkshire. Their world is blown apart when 13-year-old schoolboy Jamie is arrested in a dawn raid on suspicion of murdering a female classmate, Katie Leonard. Poignantly, Jamie wets himself with panic when armed police burst through his bedroom door. He repeatedly insists he’s innocent. However, it’s no spoiler to say that chilling CCTV footage makes clear who was responsible for the frenzied multiple stabbing. This isn’t a whodunnit, it’s a whydunnit. Exploring what motivated this shocking crime is why Adolescence has struck such a chord.”

… story highlights the corrosive impact of social media on impressionable minds and has resonated profoundly with audiences. Parents of teenagers have been watching rapt, heartbroken and horrified in equal measure – with the show clocking up an astonishing 24.3m views in its first four days of release, four times more than the number two show. It tops the Netflix ratings in 71 countries, ranging from Chile to Vietnam. One British police force has even said it should be a “wake-up call for parents”.

Labour MP Anneliese Midgley has called for the series to be screened in parliament and in schools, arguing that it could help counter misogyny and violence against women and girls. PM Keir Starmer backed the idea, praising Adolescence and saying that he’d watched it with his own teenage children. Starmer added that violence against girls was “abhorrent … a growing problem … we have to tackle it”.”

Even back home in India, school teachers of teenage kids are recommending parents watch the series with their children.

If you want to read our other published material, please visit https://marcellus.in/blog/

Note: The above material is neither investment research, nor financial advice. Marcellus does not seek payment for or business from this publication in any shape or form. The information provided is intended for educational purposes only. Marcellus Investment Managers is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and is also an FME (Non-Retail) with the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) as a provider of Portfolio Management Services. Additionally, Marcellus is also registered with US Securities and Exchange Commission (“US SEC”) as an Investment Advisor.