Five ideas for after the 'Adolescence' phenomenon
The success of Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, creators ofAdolescence–the series of the moment–, has been bursting the bubbles of the generational and gender filter by transferring the cultureincelFrom the screens of teenagers locked in their rooms to a commonplace frequented by adults like Netflix. The series chronicles how the sinister influence of toxic masculinity floods and expands into digital environments. It comes at an opportune time, now that there's no shortage of moral panics about social media. Its virtueAdolescence It's a shock, but the challenge after watching it is to avoid falling into a reactive, prohibitionist, and short-sighted mode. How can we take advantage of the buzz the series has generated to better support our teens?
1. We ask, we listen, we share. Let's talk to teens and pre-teens. As soon as possible, and not just boys. Whether they've seen the series or not, assume they've spoken and are familiar with the social debate it sparked. Let's start by asking what they know, what they've heard, and whether the series reflects situations in their everyday lives. Let's find out what resonates with it and how they feel about it. The idea is to listen openly and look for common ground. Our experiences are different, and the goal isn't to agree or be right.
2. We look for excuses for shared digital consumption. To prepare the series, Jack Thorne spent more than half a year navigating through unexpected and profound places under a fictional teenage male profile, following the trail of algorithmic recommendations. Inspired by this, an interesting exercise might be to compare what types of ads and recommendations appear on our social media and those on our teenagers' social media accounts (if they have any). An alternative is to create a shared fictional account, with a teenage male profile and a teenage female profile, so we can jointly explore the differences in tone and content suggested by the algorithms. Initiatives to stay up-to-date, such as glossaries that compile trends, concepts, and new digital vocabulary, can also be useful.
3. You don't need to understand everything, but you do need to identify how they feel. The issue isn't mastering the hidden meanings of the emojis young people use: adolescents have always sought out their own codes. It's important to explore how they think the world expects them to be, what expectations friends or partners might have for them. Another issue to address is their sense of belonging and purpose in life, and whether they understand who they can turn to for help if they need it: parents are unlikely to be their first choice, but older siblings, cousins, teachers, role models in sports or leisure, etc., can be.inceland affective polarization.
4. We agree on technology-free spaces. A revolutionary gesture is to keep meals and bedrooms free of cell phones and screens of all kinds. It's even more powerful when the whole family applies it. Do we use them as alarm clocks? We look for an alternative way to wake up early. This will allow us to get a more restful sleep and avoid making unnecessary noises.scrollInfinity as the last gesture of the night and the first of the morning. We can decide where to leave our phones charging overnight, preferably in a shared space visible to everyone.
5. The parenting Digital is a shared challenge, best navigated as a community. Addressing it home-to-home is complex, and not all circumstances allow for it, but we can take advantage of opportunities with other families and share strategies. From setting up film forums via AFA to creating shared lists of existing resources. The gameOur everyday screensIt's a good conversation starter. The bookLiving between screensIt helps us understand digital adolescence from a clinical perspective (Dr. Matalí) and community intervention (J. Bernabeu).Common Sin Media(US NGO) is a portal with educational content for teachers and families that includes series reviews; in Catalan we can chooseEduCAC.
The clash between adulthood and youth is inherent. From Plato to Hannah Arendt, various voices have described intergenerational tension as a dynamic of mutual invalidation that generates conflict and drives change. Certainly, the digital dimension multiplies scenarios and complicates norms, but the essential needs remain: adolescence continues to be the journey to build one's own identity, a sense of life, and supportive bonds. Rather than charting a path for adolescents, it's about accompanying them through the elements, with family dinners being the best base camp.
