How our school is tackling the issues Netflix's Adolescence exposes

The recent Netflix series Adolescence may have felt quite disturbing for some viewers, interpreting it as an extreme version of teenage life.

Sadly, the story realistically shows the impact of social media that is steering some young men into a toxic idealism.

Influencers like Andrew Tate have captivated young men into believing that masculinity is a privilege that comes with an entitlement to demean women and put them in their rightful place, inciting violence in the process.

As these role models become part of a teenager’s algorithm, their social media becomes swamped with similar values.

It is difficult to evade the influence of the manosphere, which has been growing rapidly for over a decade.

While Tate promotes misogyny and an ideology that persuades young people that by emulating his approach, they will not only gain access to women but also become rich, there are now many equally concerning role models seeping into their online world.

Adolescence is littered with challenges: acne, testosterone, school and parent pressures; teenagers are easy bait. However, the backdrop to this rising wave of misogyny is a systemic culprit: a binary world where they feel “they don’t measure up”.

Young adolescents are easily sucked into the online echo chamber that channels their inner turmoil into a space of harmful rhetoric, persuasively brainwashing them to believe they can only succeed in life if they become like them.

Schools are working hard to navigate the complexities of outside influencers and their values.

At Verdala International School we foster the critical thinking lens approach as we address the issues of the world today into our teaching and learning. Our Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing (DIW) programme considers purposefully how we all matter, connect and belong, regardless of our identity, culture or story.

Our Gender Equality and Respect month has focused on what stereotypes are out there, their history and representation. Personal experiences can differ according to family expectations, history and cultural traditions around types of professions, household tasks or caring roles, contrasted with examples of flipped stereotypical norms.

Our DIW sessions run across the whole school and are always planned with age-appropriate differentiation. In Primary, the children thought about what a gender stereotype is.

They discussed how characters were represented in well-known children’s films as protagonists, their career representation, family set-ups or how they demonstrated emotion.

This was followed by a voice and choice activity that offered options for the remainder of the project. One group considered how toys are marketed to appeal to boys versus girls. Another option allowed the students to think about songs that reinforce gender stereotypes (the song Boys Don’t Cry springs to mind). Or a building empathy exercise, whereby students write a journal entry to walk in the shoes of a historical figure (man or woman) who fought against gender discrimination.

Schools are working hard to navigate the complexities of outside influencers and their values

In Secondary, we took a deeper dive to help our students think about how social media is influencing their lives. The students reflected on how their own media consumption leads to predetermined ideas about gender and equity, and how this may have evolved.

They discussed the ways society expects people to act, dress, speak and behave based on whether they’re seen as a boy or a girl. What are the unwritten rules people often learn from their family, friends and what they see around them?

The term ‘trad wife’ has gained traction recently; we asked our high schoolers to consider whether social media reinforces or challenges traditional gender roles. The 16- to 18-year-olds took a further critical leap into exploring the concept of intersectionality and the challenge of equality across all social categories.

While we have tackled this topic this month, there is still much work to be done; the highly financed influencers are relentless. We must keep talking to our young people and challenge notable concerns with attention and follow-up.

This tricky adolescent time is full of secrecy and attitude. It is up to us, schools and parents, to offer opportunities for in-person connection.

As we help build self-esteem by creating spaces where young people can have positive experiences together, they are more likely to get through this phase unscathed. If a child is seeking solace in the online world, then something needs attention in the analog world.

Totty Aris is head of Verdala International School.