Emmy for Adolescence a call for global rewiring

BRITISH mini-series Adolescence, which kickstarted a global debate about the corrosive impact of social media and misogynist influencers on teenage boys, has scooped six Emmys — television’s equivalent of the Oscars. At just 15, Owen Cooper, who plays a 13-year-old boy arrested for the brutal murder of a teenage girl, is the youngest-ever male Emmy winner in any acting category. The hit Netflix series shows the aftermath of the stabbing while exploring the online ‘manosphere’ — how time on the Internet shapes the boy next door into a radicalised, rageful teenager. Adolescence forces viewers to have a hard look at the unfiltered domination of social media. As boys just forming their sense of identity begin to internalise toxic ideas of what it means to be a man, the easy tools Internet provides can lead to normalisation of cultural misogyny. It’s scary, but all too real.

All four of the hour-long episodes involved filming everything in one go, without interruption, making the viewing experience more immersive. The series has struck a chord the world over as parents deal with the unique challenges thanks to the smartphones their children won’t let go of. It has also led to calls for strong emotional support systems that can help deal with the child’s need to seek out anything that gives a temporary sense of power or belonging. Adolescence shines a light on the powerlessness of families, too, in the relentless battle against the ills of the screen.

The concerns are universal: phone addiction, cyberbullying, sexual violence, sexist language, mental health decline and poor academic performance. Starting difficult but essential conversations with children early is now unavoidable. The solutions also lie in the cross-cultural exchange of ideas, borrowing from experiences such as strict Internet controls and structured counselling.