Article by Kotie Geldenhuys
Photos/images courtesy of Freepik
Would you drop your child off at a public park and leave them unsupervised for hours? For most parents, the answer is a resounding NO. Ironically, many of these parents allow their children to roam unsupervised through the vast and often dangerous landscape of the Internet and social media as if it does not hold the same threats as a public park.
This unsettling question is raised by Netflix’s drama series, Adolescence, a provocative and timely portrayal of the unseen dangers lurking in digital spaces, especially for teenagers coming of age under the constant glare of online scrutiny. Far more than mere entertainment, Adolescence uses gripping storytelling to explore the dark side of social media culture. At its heart is the shocking fictional case of 13-year-old Jamie Miller, who is arrested for the murder of his classmate, Katie Leonard. The series delves deep into the psyche of a boy transformed by the toxic ideologies he encountered online, and the emotional fallout experienced by his grieving family, especially his father, Eddie, who struggles to comprehend how his son became capable of such violence.
*****************************
[This is only an extract of an article published in Servamus: October 2025. This article is available for purchase.]