Adolescence A hard watch as a father, Starmer says to manufacturers at n ° 10

The Prime Minister told manufacturers of the successful drama Netflix adolescence that it was “really difficult to look at” with his teenagers, because he welcomed them in Downing Street to discuss the influence of online toxic equipment.

Sir Keir Starmer said that the show, about a 13 -year -old boy accused of murder, served as a “torch that shines intensely on a combination of problems to which many people do not know how to react”.

But he warned that there was no “response from the miracle solution” or “a political lever that can be drawn”.

The meeting came then that Netflix said that it would make the series available to detect for free in schools, a move that Sir Keir welcomed as “an important initiative to encourage as many students as possible to watch the program”.

The program sparked a national conversation on the impact of social media and influencers of “Manosphere”.

Jack Thorne, who wrote the show with actor Stephen Graham, recently said The Prime Minister should “consider as an urgent” a smartphone ban in schools and a “digital era of consent”, similar to Australia, which has adopted a law prohibiting children under the age of 16 from using social media.

Thorne and producer Jo Johnson gave Sir Keir their opinion at the meeting on Monday, as well as charitable organizations and selected young people. The secretary of culture Lisa Nandy was also there.

Prime Minister,, Who has a 14 -year -old daughter and a 16 -year -old son told them The show was “sometimes painful” but had “turned on a touch paper” as part of the debate on questions.

“To be honest, as a father, I did not find an easy visualization,” he said.

“He instantly contacts with fears and worries, not just young people – because I was really struck by the way our children were riveted – but also frankly fears and worries of parents and adults across the country.”

But he told participants that there was no unique policy that could provide a simple solution.

“It’s actually much larger than that, almost a cultural problem,” he said.

He added that the show highlighted “the devastating effect of misogyny on our society”, as well as “the dangers of online radicalization and this feeling of young people being alone, very often in their room or everywhere, isolated with this online radicalization”, and “the challenges that our children, our schools and families face every day”.

Speaking later, Thorne said it was a “brilliant” meeting.

“What is brilliant is that it was not for us,” he said. “It was a question of facilitating conversations with charities and groups of young people who really understand what is happening, and I hope that a solution can be found in this problem.”

The success of adolescence has helped these charities and groups to have “the opportunity to have conversations that they had not had before and that they should have had, and this could lead to a change in politics and things are improved for our young people,” he added.

The Government has underlined measures, including the online security law, which affirms that social media companies will have to protect children from harmful documents, in particular pornography, promotion of self -control, intimidation and encouraging content of dangerous cascades.

Platforms will have to adopt “age insurance technologies” to prevent children from seeing harmful content.

The government also updates its advice on how schools should teach children relationships, sex education and health (RSHE).

Times recently reported That it would include “lessons to counter the misogyny and the growing attraction of influencers such as Andrew Tate”, following discussions on adolescence.

Meanwhile, Netflix has announced that the drama will be available for all British secondary schools via the film +school streaming service.

In a statement, Thorne said: “Having the opportunity to take this in schools is beyond our expectations. We hope that it will lead teachers to talk to students, but what we really hope is that it will lead the students to talk to each other.”

Sir Keir has denied a suggestion that showing the program in schools would delude boys who spend a lot of time online but did not find themselves like Jamie in adolescence.

“I think it is probably difficulty to think that there is just a group of boys who are attracted to this (equipment),” the Prime Minister told BBC Radio 1.

“Admittedly, there is a group that is attracted to extreme edges, and we see that in the drama, of course, but I think that many boys would be somewhere, perhaps, on a continuum here.”

For Harry Foster, 22, being radicalized in adolescence was “very easy”.

“When you are a child, it’s very easy when there is a lack of direction or positive models to be swept away with something,” he said.

He said extremist groups have exploited his vulnerability with dependence on adolescence problems, manipulating him to share racist and misogynist opinions.

“I thought I found a certain sense of belonging,” he told Newsbeat. “What I really gave myself was a set of very harmful and very radical political opinions, which is almost like compromise to belong to these people.”

He obtained help through the Warren Youth Group in Hull and now works with them to help other boys and young men in similar situations.

Harry welcomed Sir Keir’s plans to work with Netflix to show adolescence in secondary schools, but said that more work had to be done.

“I don’t think there has never been a time when young people as a whole feel more disconnected from politicians,” he said.

“It is a thing to make young men aware of problems around this kind of ideologies, but it is just as important as we offer an alternative to young boys and men who are desperately looking for something to identify.

“I don’t think it’s as simple as showing a television program. There must be a positive alternative for young people.”