On March 31 the UK government announced Netflix’s TV show Adolescence will be shown in secondary schools across the country, and experts are calling for the same in Australian high schools.

Adolescence, a four-part tv series, follows the story of 13 year old boy Jamie Miller, who is accused of murdering a female schoolmate. The show addresses issues of online radicalisation, misogyny, violence against women and toxic masculinity, and how these issues are affecting teens today.

A 2023 Australian government survey found 91 per cent of children aged 14 to 17 own their own mobile phone, and for children aged 10 to 13 this is 54 per cent. Respectively 72 per cent (14-17) and 33 per cent (10-13) also have their own personal social media accounts.

Psychologist Kim Cullen says schools need to address the way social media is shaping how teens develop and the hit Netflix show could be one way to do it.

“I think it needs to be included, it’s a part of their social development to become critical thinkers in areas such as science, so why wouldn’t we do this in their lives.”

Ms Cullen says social media is shaping children’s core value systems.

“Our values, beliefs and morals are given to us by the village that raises us, our primary caregivers, grandparents, all of those in those very very early years.”

“If you add social media into that, and social media is not policed, there is no consideration on whether its true, it leaves adolescents now vulnerable to getting views of people they don’t necessarily know,” she says.

WA Council of State School Organisation president Pania Turner says awareness of the technological rise is fundamental in parents raising their children.

“As parents, we need to be realistic about the environment in which children are growing up and ensure they are equipped to deal with the challenges and opportunities they face.”

Ms Turner says schools can always help in education of potential negative technological experiences through resources such as Adolescence.

“The show highlights the crucial role of parents; show up, take an interest, be active, role-model, set boundaries and, most importantly, communicate. Schools can help by echoing this message, but it is something to be taken up by parents.”

“I would be interested to hear about supporting materials that are being used by UK schools as a part of its introduction to the curriculum,” she says.

Statistics on behavioural issues in schools has been shown in the Australian Catholic University’s 2024 Principals Report, with 43.9 per cent of principals surveyed saying violence and security threats were the most common type of critical incident.

More than half of the surveyed principals communicated intention to quit due to rising issues such as this.

Feminist researcher Dr Stephanie Wescott says education needs to address topics of violence against women and misogyny, both depicted in the show.

“We should be focussing on firmly and consistently stamping out violence against girls, women and gender diverse people in schools at a federal policy level, by taking a zero-tolerance approach and focussing on the safety and rights of victims.”

Curtin University School of Education Professor Rekha Koul says governments should utilise Adolescence as an important resource.

“I would strongly advocate for our government, even at a state level, department of education, buys the rights and we show it in our schools if they do not have the access.”

She says the disruptive behaviour from students effecting job satisfaction requires a system of change.

“There needs to be a study on how have we gone wrong. The situation exacerbated post-covid, and use of tech would be feeding into it and it’s not the use but the overuse or faulty use of technology.”

Dr Wescott says a study she is currently working on is researching how educational bodies can tackle the ‘manosphere’.

“Our ANROWS study aims to support teachers by training them to deliver a professional learning program that responds to some of the problems associated with misogynistic behaviour,” she says.