58 h. ago The Adolescence alarm: ‘If there’s a problem with boys’ behaviour, it’s because of us’

Millions have been gripped by a story of toxic masculinity in children that’s been called a ‘wake-up call’. But is it a moral panic, and how should we respond?There is a scene in the Netflix super hit Adolescence, about an elfin-faced 13-year-old boy who stabs to death a female schoolmate, motivated by a fear and loathing of women apparently fuelled by his exposures online, that is not – relatively speaking– very tense.The lead investigator, DI Luke Bascombe, played by Ashley Walters, is roaming the children’s bleak, grey high school searching for clues as to the murder weapon and the motive. His own son, Adam (Amari Bacchus), a gangly, bullied senior, takes his father aside into a room of stacked chairs and blue-tinged light. He wants to help him understand. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago The hidden meanings behind seemingly random moments in Adolescence... and their chilling warnings about boys today, by child psychologist DR SHEILA REDFERN

What do each of the seemingly random objects and actions in Adolescence mean - and how can they be used to try to unpick Jamie's heinous crime?

Events

4 d. ago Worried about your teenage boys after watching Adolescence? A top psychologist has this advice

The Netflix show has terrified UK parents — the Prime Minister included. But it’s important not to blame boys and encourage them to open up instead

Politics

5 d. ago Adolescence is an intervention: why parents now need to step up

Adolescence puts one thing very clear: we are failing as parents and as a society, if we keep giving our young children unsupervised access to the internet

Politics

5 d. ago Adolescence creator insists it's 'absurd to say that this crime is only committed by black boys' following accusations he 'race

The writer and co-creator of the Netflix hit series Adolescence has insisted that his show is in 'no part based on a true story' amid criticism over the race of the main character.

Events

5 d. ago Teenage boys are targeting girls online for sexual abuse and violence, warns National Crime Agency

Reports have surged in the last three years of gangs of boys sharing extreme violence pictures and misogynistic online

Events

6 d. ago We cannot ignore problems of misogyny among young boys after Adolescence, says PM

Sir Keir Starmer said he recognises that ‘we may have a problem with boys and young men that we need to address’

Politics

6 d. ago Video games can’t escape their role in the radicalisation of young men | Keith Stuart

Those of us who spend our lives gaming can no longer deny knowledge that our online communities are awash with disturbing hate speech and violent rhetoricThere is a lot of attention on young men and toxic masculinity at the moment. It’s about time. The devastating Netflix drama Adolescence, about a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering a girl after being radicalised by the online manosphere, has drawn attention to the problem through the sheer force of its brilliant writing and a blistering lead performance from teenager Owen Cooper. This week, former England football manager Gareth Southgate gave a speech about the state of boyhood in the UK, specifically about how young men, lacking moral mentors, are turning to gambling and video gaming, thereby disconnecting from society and immersing themselves in predominantly male online communities where misogyny and racism are often rife. There has been some kickback in the gaming press to the idea that games have provided a less-than-ideal ...

Politics

6 d. ago As a psychiatrist, I see the toll of toxic online content on boys. Here are 6 ways you can keep your teenage son safe

The new Netflix drama Adolescence, a gripping four-part drama, begins with the arrest of a boy aged 13 for the murder of a female classmate.

Events

7 d. ago Ella Baron on Adolescence and the dangers social media pose to teenage boys – cartoon

Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Dire warning issued following the release of Netflix's Adolescence over 'tsunami' of boys turning to misogyny

In a bleak assessment of the nation's youth, educators say classes are increasingly being threatened by boys with 'toxic' views on women, sex and relationships.

Events

7 d. ago Adolescence reveals a terrifying truth: smartphones are poison for boys’ minds | Martha Gill

When a Netflix drama highlights how online influencers can turn a teenager into a killer, it’s time to rethink social mediaEvery so often, a television drama comes along that has the power to change things. Last year, it was ITV’s Mr Bates vs The Post Office, in which the plight of subpostmasters was rendered with such success that it actually hastened in real-world legislation to compensate them.And now we have Netflix’s Adolescence, which looks at the online radicalisation of young boys by men’s rights activists (MRAs) such as Andrew Tate. Last week, Keir Starmer told the Commons he had been watching the series with his family and that it portrayed an “emerging and growing problem” that needed to be tackled. Now MPs are examining ideas to address the issue with greater urgency.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at observer.letters@observer.co.uk Contin...

Events

9 d. ago Adolescence is an intervention: what can we do about boys lost in the manosphere?

Adolescence puts one thing very clear: we are failing as parents, as a society, if we keep giving our young children unsupervised access to the internet

Politics

1 week ago Adolescence star Stephen Graham breaks down in tearful admission about parents

Stephen Graham has been lauded for his role in the Netflix drama Adolescence, in which he plays the dad of a boy accused of murdering a classmate, and he got emotional talking about his own father

Events

1 week ago The modest terraced £87,000 house where a star was born: Adolescence sensation Owen Cooper's very unlikely working class start in Warrington revealed

Owen Cooper is currently shooting a big-screen adaptation of Wuthering Heights alongside superstar Margot Robbie - after Adolescence became the most popular show on Netflix.

Economics

1 week ago The modest terraced £87,000 house where a star was born: Adolescence sensation Owen Cooper's very unlikey working class start in Warrington revealed

Owen Cooper is currently shooting a big-screen adaptation of Wuthering Heights alongside superstar Margot Robbie - after Adolescence became the most popular show on Netflix.

Economics

1 week ago Voices: Adolescence is every parent’s nightmare – but what worries you about raising children in 2025?

Have your say as Stephen Graham’s latest series sparks urgent conversations about children’s online safety, revealing how hidden digital influences are shaping young minds as much as family and school

Society

1 week ago Owen Cooper in Adolescence: the best child acting debut ever?

Adolescence director Philip Barantini tells us about working with the ‘natural-born talent’ that is Owen Cooper

Politics

1 week ago Owen Cooper in Adolescence: the best child acting debut since Jodie Foster in Taxi Driver?

Adolescence director Philip Barantini tells us about working with the ‘natural-born talent’ that is Owen Cooper

Events

2 w. ago Adolescence star Ashley Walters needed 'a bit of convincing' after he almost gave up acting

Top Boy actor Ashley Walters plays DI Luke Bascombe in Adolescence.

Politics