Keir Starmer is watching Adolescence. Here’s how his government can stop it happening in real life

Keir Starmer is watching Adolescence, the hit Netflix drama about a boy accused of murder and the current of extreme misogyny sweeping up young men in the UK, the prime minister revealed in parliament. But is his government listening?

On a dramatic and technical level, Stephen Graham’s drama has enraptured audiences. Each episode is filmed in one continuous shot, following the aftermath of 13-year-old Jamie Miller’s arrest. The show has become Netflix’s biggest hit of the moment, but its exploration of how boys get drawn, online, to hate, has driven discussion.

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Starmer said he had been watching the show with his teenage children, and said it showed a “real problem”. Women’s charities and domestic abuse campaigners told Big Issue its lessons must be heeded.

“Adolescence exposes how online misogyny and sexism are radicalising young men and boys, fuelling a dangerous tolerance for abuse and deadly violence against women and girls,” said Jessye Werner, communications manager at Women’s Aid.

Werner added that government intervention was needed to dismantle the culture of online misogyny and toxic masculinity. “The harrowing four-part story underscores the urgent need to challenge harmful disinformation by educating children and young people on overcoming unhealthy relationships, spotting red flags and securing government investment in specialist support for younger generations experiencing abuse,” Werner said.

Graham said the drama was inspired after seeing cases of real life murders of young girls in the news: 12-year-old Ava White and 15-year-old Elianne Andam, both stabbed to death by young boys.

In an interview with Big Issue, director Philip Barantini said the motivation for making the series was simple: “We wanted to shine a light on why these young boys are picking up a knife and killing young girls.”

Netflix claim the show was viewed 24.3m times in four days, while Graham and co-creator Jack Thorne have said they want Adolescence to be shown in parliament and to “cause discussion and make change”.

Speaking in parliament after tabling an amendment to try and make relationships and sex education compulsory from age 16-18, suspended Labour MP Zarah Sultana said the series “highlights how a lack of education on relationships and self worth can leave young people susceptible to dangerous and controlling behaviour”.

Sultana added: “We cannot allow harmful voices to fill the vacuum that education should occupy.”

Andrea Simon, director of the End Violence Against Women (EVAW) Coalition, told Big Issue the government should prioritise relationshops and sex education rooted in consent and equality, and relevant to young people’s lives.

“The rise of misogynistic influencers highlights a clear need for alternative models of masculinity, including healthy ways to process emotions like anger and seek support. In the character of Jamie, we saw how men and boys’ feelings of entitlement to the attention and respect of women and girls can result in harmful and dangerous behaviours, driven by a very clear desire for power and control. This is the result of gender inequality and we need a coordinated approach across the whole of society to tackle it,” said Simon.

New polling from the EVAW Coalition shows 73% of people, and 79% of women think the government should be doing more to tackle violence against women and girls. Simon said the solutions should go beyond the criminal justice system.

“Adolescence was a stark reminder of how under-funded schools mean teachers are often unaware of abuse or lack the capacity and resource to address it,” said Simon, adding that the government should force tech platforms to adopt Ofcom guidance on protecting women and girls.

Starmer has pledged to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. He said his government was putting specialist rape and sexual offences team in every police force, but also that parliament needed to tackle an “emerging and growing” cultural problem.

Sultana’s amendment came on the back of work by Big Issue changemaker Faustine Petron, who founded the Make it Mandatory campaign. But MPs did not get the chance to vote on the move to make domestic abuse lessons compulsory, despite the Women and Equalities Committee backing the change in 2023 and the idea having support from the chief medical officer.

Ithar Ghalifa, lead strategist for Make it Mandatory, said the show raised vital issues around online, safety, consent, and image-based abuse – but also showed how healthy relationships could play a role.

“The series underscores the urgent need for comprehensive educational initiatives, teacher training and funding, including parent involvement to protect young people from digital exploitation, and to confront unhealthy behavior in school settings,” Ghalifa told Big Issue.

“But what stood out to me in the show were the stark reminders of how we as a society need to stop alienating young people and labeling them as ‘difficult’ just because we lack an understanding of their ever changing world, without creating safer spaces and fostering safe environments for them.”

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