Prime Minister Keir Starmer has endorsed Netflix’s controversial drama Adolescence for classroom use, announcing a partnership to make the series available to all U.K. secondary schools alongside educational resources. The move follows a government roundtable addressing the show’s exploration of teen knife crime, online radicalization, and toxic masculinity—themes Starmer called “urgent” after watching the series with his teenage children.
The four-part series, co-created by His Dark Materials writer Jack Thorne and actor Stephen Graham, centers on a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering a classmate after being influenced by extremist online content. It became the first streaming show to top Barb’s U.K. ratings chart and has fueled national debates about youth violence and digital dangers. Under the initiative, schools will access Adolescence via the Into Film+ platform starting this term, supplemented by guides from charity Tender to help teachers and parents discuss its themes.
“Watching this with my son and daughter, it hit home hard,” Starmer said during the roundtable, which included Thorne and representatives from child welfare groups like the NSPCC. “Openly discussing how young people communicate and the content they see is vital to supporting them through these challenges.” The Prime Minister emphasized that solutions require collaboration beyond legislation: “If I could pull a lever to solve this, I would. We must listen to young people and those working with them.”
Netflix’s U.K. content VP Anne Mensah noted the series has “captured the national mood,” adding that the school rollout aims to “spark conversations” about pressures facing teens and families. Thorne, who attended the government discussion, said the team created Adolescence to provoke dialogue about “a growing crisis,” calling the educational partnership “beyond our hopes.”
Resources will include lesson plans addressing healthy relationships and critical thinking, developed with input from charities Tender and The Children’s Society. The show’s plot—in which a seemingly ordinary teen becomes entangled in violent ideologies—has drawn praise for its unflinching portrayal of issues like incel culture, though some critics argue it risks sensationalizing complex problems.
The initiative arrives as data shows U.K. knife offenses involving minors rose 21% year-over-year in 2023. Starmer’s government has pledged to prioritize youth safety policies, with further roundtables planned to incorporate feedback from educators and students.
You can read our review of Adolescence here.
