Youth Violence - The British TV Series, “Adolescence,” Brings a Concerning Issue to Light

“Adolescence”, released by Netflix in March of 2025, has been acknowledged as one of the most influential, riveting series of the year. It has acquired an audience of all ages, uniting society to watch 13 year old Jamie Miller’s situation unfold as he is accused of murdering his classmate - Katie Leonard. The series has four episodes, each with a duration of one hour. The episodes are all filmed in one take – another astonishing quality the show offers – creating a cohesive, realistic atmosphere where the viewer feels included in the moment. After its release, many articles and critiques argue on the main message the series carries, however, inevitably the core issue portrayed is youth violence. 

The idea came to Stephen Graham, the creator and writer, after witnessing a series of violent crimes. In 2021, 12 year old Ava White was fatally stabbed by a 14-year old boy. In 2023, 15 year-old Elianne Andam was attacked by 17 year-old Hassan Sentamu. He was astounded by teenagers’ merciless, heartless actions towards each other. The actor convinced a top-tier screenwriter to create a suspenseful drama series questioning why boys commit cruel acts against girls. 

“Adolescence” raises awareness of the environment that critically influences young minds. The penultimate episode, the hard-hitting, tense and unsettling conversation between Jamie and a female psychologist portrays the inner world of Jamie and young boys in general. One might argue that he’s just different, but could it be the influence of his environment? After all, humans are shaped by their surroundings and the people they spend time with. I think that is the tragic part – can we entirely blame him? Children are vulnerable and easily conform to society’s norms. If a person finds justification for violent, misogynist, and racist actions, they may follow it. 

The show reflects modern situations. In today’s society, influential people on the internet that have the power for change misuse it. One example is Andrew Tate, a man who promotes the abuse of women, destruction of nature, and other disturbing actions. The term “red pill”, which claims that men are oppressed by a feminist-dominated society, is often used by him to promote misogyny and male dominance. In the series, a very similar concept occurs, Jamie’s classmates are led to believe that masculinity is about violence, aggression, and dominance. They lack respect towards women and anyone in general. 

Furthermore, Jamie suffers from a lack of self-confidence from a young age. He mentions how, during his football game, his father couldn’t even look at him when he made a mistake. All he wants is to be understood and validated, but his peers bully him, critically changing his view of himself. At the end of the interview with his psychologist, he asks her “do you like me, as a person, because I do.” He craves acceptance to fix his shattered self-image. What really led to his murder of Katie cannot be summed up in a couple of paragraphs, however, all these little pieces slowly built up to the cause of such a tragedy. 

What really led me to think critically about Adolescence was in the last episode. His parents question their parenting and try to justify themselves. Can you blame them for raising a murderer? Was it their fault? How can we pin the cause to them when so many factors are out of their control? They tried and failed, but could they prevent this? One of the most heart-dropping sentences I’ve heard was “How did we make that?” as if Jamie isn’t their son anymore. He has lost his innocence and is looked at like a monster. 

What Jamie did is unforgivable but was it entirely his idea? Is this a one-time event or a widespread problem? This series was created to spread awareness on real occurrences. This is a reality, we are living it, and it has to change before society turns to hatred and aggression. 

Written by Elene Papiashvili