Should school kids be shown ‘Adolescence’?

The hit drama series, Adolescence, has been making headlines for its exploration of masculinity, toxic behaviours and online radicalisation. There has been a worldwide debate about whether the show should be included in school curriculums. An RMIT expert explains what impact this could have at Australian schools.  

Dr Elise Waghorn, Lecturer in Early Childhood said: 

“Adolescence is very confronting. Schools would need to take a very careful approach when showing it, and make sure they understand the children’s level of maturity. 

“I’d hate to think that the series is going to just be shown in schools with children then left to digest and interpret it themselves. 

“If schools are going to show Adolescence, it should be embedded into curriculum around safe media use with the show as a case study, and this will need to be done in consultation with parents, guardians and the school community.  

“There are very different mental and emotional maturity levels across students, so showing it in a classroom might not necessarily be the answer. This would not be a one size fits all approach. 

“I think the bottom line is that we need to be having these conversations regardless of whether we show a TV program or not – it’s really about having conversations both at school and home, providing a consistent message, and making sure that children feel safe enough to come to a trusted adult if something happens.” 

Dr Elise Waghorn has expertise in early childhood development. Her research focuses on exploring the everyday life of children in Australia and their connection to policy and educational experiences in Hong Kong and Singapore.