Armed police storm from a van on a grey, gloomy British street at the crack of dawn. Within seconds, they have knocked down the door to an unassuming house.

They force two parents to the ground before entering the bedroom of a 13-year-old boy. "Suspect found!" they shout, ordering the frightened child to put his hands in the air.

If, at the beginning of Netflix's new show Adolescence, you feel sympathy for the tearful teenager Jamie Miller, who calls out helplessly for his dad as he is arrested, it might not last long.

It transpires that the youngster has brutally murdered his classmate Katie, stabbing her to death in a car park. CCTVShort for closed circuit television. Video camera used to monitor areas for security. footage has captured it all.

What could drive somebody so young, with such a loving family, to commit murder? This is the question posed by Adolescence, which dives into how online incelShort for involuntary celibate, the mostly online subculture defines itself as people who are unable to get a romantic or sexual partner despite wanting one. culture and the manosphereA slang word for the varied collection of websites, blogs, and online forums promoting masculinity, misogyny, and opposition to feminism. can drive young men to perpetrate violence against women.

It is also a reckoning for the adults in Jamie's life who failed to notice the impact of online indoctrinationRepeating an idea to someone until they accept it without challenging it. on the child in their care. Jamie has been radicalisedMade more extreme in their political or religious beliefs. to hate women through manosphere influencers like Andrew Tate. If adults had understood the power of online hate better, they could have acted to stop this tragedy.

Some have called it a masterpiece of storytelling on a pertinentRelevant. social issue, praising in particular Jamie's actor, breakout star and 15-year-old Owen Cooper. The show is also a cinematic featAccomplishment or achievement. , with each episode filmed in one continuous, uninterrupted take.¹

The series had plenty of real-life material to draw upon. In 2021, 12-year-old Ava White was stabbed to death by a 14-year-old boy in Liverpool. In 2023, 15-year-old Elianne Andam was killed with a knife by a 17-year-old in Croydon.

And in July last year, 26-year-old Kyle Clifford raped and killed his ex-girlfriend Louise Hunt, and murdered her sister Hannah Hunt and mother Carol Hunt, after searching YouTube videos of Andrew Tate.

In fact, gender-based violence has been dubbed a "national emergency" by police chiefs. Two million women per year in England and Wales are victims of violence perpetrated by men. Recorded offences of sexist violence have grown by a startling 37% in just five years.²

Shockingly, perpetrators of this violence appear to be getting younger. The fastest-growing groups of domestic abuse offenders are now those aged 16 to 19. Sexual offences committed against underage girls and children increased by more than 400% between 2013 and 2022, with suspects averaging 15 years old.³

Women and girls are feeling the spike in gender-based violence. In the UK, 81% of young women say that they feel unsafe walking home in the dark.⁴ One 2025 survey found that 62% of young women believe that most young men are "pretty frightening", with 41% of young men agreeing.⁵

Some say it is an epidemic of violence driven by "unhappy and angry men" who feel abandoned by society. Shows like Adolescence, they argue, are a way of connecting with these young people on their own level, making them feel heard, and making them aware of the dark side of the manosphere.

Should every teenager watch Adolescence?

Yes: There are important lessons to be learned from this Netflix show. The epidemic of violence against women and girls has real victims and we need to have more open conversations about how to prevent it.

No: The problem with TV series like Adolescence is that they look at the male perspective on violence against women. We should be seeing more about the effect it has on female victims. Maybe this will help perpetrators to develop more empathy.

Or... Adults, not teenagers, should be the real target audience for Adolescence. We are not doing enough to save our young boys from online indoctrination. A child cannot take responsibility for being indoctrinated, but the adults in his life who failed to prevent it should.

CCTV - Short for closed circuit television. Video camera used to monitor areas for security.

Incel - Short for involuntary celibate, the mostly online subculture defines itself as people who are unable to get a romantic or sexual partner despite wanting one.

Manosphere - A slang word for the varied collection of websites, blogs, and online forums promoting masculinity, misogyny, and opposition to feminism.

Indoctrination - Repeating an idea to someone until they accept it without challenging it.

Radicalised - Made more extreme in their political or religious beliefs.

Pertinent - Relevant.

Feat - Accomplishment or achievement.