Researching mine and Stephen Graham’s Netflix drama, I realised the brains of under 16s are unable to cope with ideas as dangerous as those in the ‘manosphere’. The government needs to ban smartphones for childrenTwo and a half years ago, Stephen Graham phoned me up to ask if I was interested in writing a show about knife crime. He wanted to talk about young male violence towards women and he had two stipulations: he wanted to do it in a series of single shots, and he didn’t want to blame the parents.I enthusiastically got involved and suggested we write together. At first, we didn’t know why Jamie, the perpetrator of the attack, did it. We knew he wasn’t a product of abuse or parental trauma. But we couldn’t figure out a motive. Then someone I work with, Mariella Johnson, said: “I think you should look into ‘incel’ culture.” Continue reading...
Jack Thorne, writer of the television program "Adolescence," explored incel culture for the show and recognized its appeal to isolated young men. Thorne suggests a ban on smartphone use for under-16s or a digital age of consent, citing examples of similar policies in other countries. The show aims to spark conversation about the issue.
