Ban kids from social media? Maybe, says Adolescence writer

The writer of the Netflix drama Adolescence has suggested that children should be denied access to social media to protect them from toxic ideas online.

Jack Thorne, together with actor Stephen Graham, created the drama series about 13-year-old boy Jamie, who is accused of murdering a girl at his school.

The series tackles themes of bullying, incel culture – incel is short for involuntary celibacy – and navigating social media as a young person.

Bristol-born Mr Thorne said: “We do believe perhaps the answer to this is in parliament and legislating – and taking kids away from their phones in school and taking kids away from social media altogether.”

He said it was not difficult to put himself into Jamie’s head, a child who felt “isolated”, who thought he had found “the answer to his pain” in toxic masculine ideas found online.

The four-part series – which stars Graham as dad Eddie and Owen Cooper as Jamie – was the most-watched show on Netflix around the world in the days after its release last week.

It shows how corrosive messages from misogynist influencers on social media can corrupt the minds of teenage boys.

Mr Thorne said he wanted parents to watch the series with their children so they talk about the difficult themes.

He said engaging with toxic ideas online was “a logic that was incredibly troubling to me because it’s a logic that I know some people would have been incredibly drawn to, including me when I was a kid”.

“If I’m 13 and I feel alone and isolated and unattractive… these things then sound like the answer to my pain,” Mr Thorne said.

Former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate has spoken about the need for more action to support young men to navigate identity, culture and resilience.

“[Young men] spend more time online searching for direction and are falling into unhealthy alternatives like gaming, gambling and pornography,” he said in a speech on Thursday night as part of the BBC’s Richard Dimbleby Lecture series.

“This void is filled by a new kind of role model who do not have their best interest at heart. Their sole drive is for their own gain.”

Dr Nathan Eisenstadt, senior researcher at the University of Bristol, teaches young people how to intervene in situations that pave the way for sexual assault.

“A murder doesn’t just happen,” Mr Eisenstadt said. “A person will have done a series of low-level behaviours.

“Maybe that’s comments which reveal their attitude about women.”

Martin Bisp is CEO of Empire Fighting Chance, a Bristol boxing club which also offers mentoring for young people.

He said young people have an urge to express themselves and often turn to the internet.

“There’s been a cut back of services for young people so they resort to things they know, which might be online stuff,” Mr Bisp said.

“Mentoring shouldn’t just be fluffy. If views are expressed that aren’t right it’s about challenging those views.”