“Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet
Amidst the considerable cry of poor climate, heat waves, bad air quality, and feedback cycles, a recent web series pops up in the discussion, which netizens ardently talk about and share their views. Adolescence, a 2025 psychological drama broadcast by Netflix, brings about certain serious concerns for mental health and parenting during adolescence.
What's Adolescence?
Adolescence is the transitional phase of growth and development between childhood and adulthood. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines an adolescent as any person between the ages of 10 and 19.
Anyways,
Adolescence is a British television psychological crime drama series created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham and directed by Philip Barantini. It centres on a 13-year-old schoolboy named Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) who is arrested after the murder of a girl in his school. Each of its four episodes was shot in one continuous take. (Wikipedia)
While everyone's trying to dig different meanings of the social media emojis and new Gen-Z words, we're directly moving on to the teenage problems and how kids process them.
Whether you've watched the series or not, you might be aware that adolescence is the most sensitive period of one's life. Regardless of nationality, gender, race, ethnicity, language, or education, we all face challenges in our adolescence. At 13, the body and mind grow steadily. The mind soaks up all the meaning, definitions, and information to its capacity, and the body develops speedily. Young kids struggle processing this tough period, and they need a helping hand, a caring touch from parents, friends, teachers, and family, and a calm, empathetic, listening ear to share their anxiety.
For example, a teenager faces issues talking about his life and emotions to anyone, s/he would find resentment in making fun of others "just to feel good for a while." Going further, s/he would bully someone from the class, try to indicate improper meanings to their own ideology, and thus create a strong shield over their emotions. While sharing emotions and letting the confused thoughts out of the head is the need of the hour. Such teenagers are alienated from the mentally healthy people and seek unrealistic information about his/her own life from the internet and from some unreliable sources. They also demand a lot of attention through malpractices such as negative influence and spreading nuisance whenever they go.
During these tough times, an adolescent doesn't know whom to listen to, whom to follow, and whom to idealize. It is also said that whatever we say, feel, or believe as truth in our adolescence is imprinted in the subconscious mind so strongly that it becomes difficult to wipe off such false understandings later in life. It becomes tougher for a teenager to decipher between true, genuine information and false information.
Sometimes a minor comment or an argument about his/her feelings can affect a teenager's mind to such an extent that s/he shuts all the doors of communication for anyone. And the unexpressed thoughts turn to negativity, and it leads to overthinking, anxiety, and anger issues, leaving the person isolated and lonely.
To find comfort and some resentment, s/he joins the like-minded people who share the same negativity and hatred. Some of them may run a campaign, movement, or create a cult that is supported by an even larger crowd. Among such a crowd, guys like Andrew Tate emerge as a misogynist 'hero' or a 'male supremacist' among such youth. Such people actually create a crowd of sheeple (Sheep+People= sheeple) who blindly fall for their charismatic appearance, heavy voice and rhetoric, luxurious lifestyle, and glamorous appearance. They basically hide themselves behind such tangibles and take the upper hand by showcasing extravagant materialism.
Adolescence is indeed a strong voice among the teenagers and males who can't process their emotions well, and a soothing catharsis for those who are well informed, and always on the bright side of life. Storytelling, narration, facial acting, and camera movement are truly exceptional.
The series captures a strong perspective of all the characters, major and minor, and dives deeper into the mental realms of Jamie Miller, whose spectacular acting captures the audience on their couches. Eddie Miller, as his father, would definitely wet anyone's eyes while walking through his own mental state.
Go have a watch. Take your mental health seriously. Never hesitate to talk. Speak up for your heart.
Thanks for staying tuned...! Ta.
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(Possibly) Difficult Terms
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