What Netflix’s Adolescence Teaches Us About Social Media, Youth, and Corporate Responsibility

Stories have the power to make the abstract personal—to illuminate the unseen and demand attention for what is too often overlooked. Netflix’s new drama, Adolescence, does exactly that. More than just entertainment, the series shines a harsh light on the unseen dangers lurking in digital spaces, particularly for young people navigating their formative years under the constant surveillance of social media.

Netflix’s provocative series sharply illuminates the complex relationship between today’s youth and social media culture. The series vividly portrays how social media platforms, while creating spaces for expression and community, simultaneously amplify pressures, anxieties, and the thirst for validation among young people.

Jack Thorne, co-writer of Adolescence, describes the series as a conversation starter—but one that must lead to action. “What you hope when you make a piece of social realism is to create a conversation,” he said in a recent interview.* “This show is a tragedy…This (problem) requires urgent action.”

The urgency is real. Social media’s algorithms can quickly lead young users into “dark spaces,” exacerbating mental health issues, fuelling harmful ideologies, and fostering a culture of isolation. Thorne has gone as far as to call for the UK to follow the lead of countries like France, Norway, and Australia in restricting social media access for teens.

“If it was my decision, I would be talking of smartphones like cigarettes and issuing an outright ban on all use by under-16s,” he argues, emphasising that young people oftentimes lack the tools to cope with and process the flood of content they encounter online.

Yet, as Adolescence makes clear, any solution must involve young people themselves. They are not just passive participants in this digital landscape—they have a right to be heard in the discussions shaping the online spaces they inhabit.

Businesses, policymakers, and society at large must move beyond surface-level reforms and take meaningful action to ensure that social media platforms are designed with the well-being of young users at the centre.

At its core, Adolescence explores how teenagers navigate identity formation under constant digital surveillance. The narrative highlights the pressure to curate idealised versions of themselves online, leading to significant impacts on mental health, self-esteem, and relationships.

Jack Thorne’s call for action in restricting teen access to social media highlights just one piece of a much larger conversation: the responsibility of businesses in shaping digital spaces.

Tech companies, in particular, must recognise that their platforms are not neutral—they influence how young people form their identities, engage with the world, and understand themselves. Thorne warns that without intervention, these platforms can quickly lead young users into dangerous territory: “The ideas being expressed are dangerous in the wrong hands, and young brains aren’t equipped to cope with them.”

Responsibility beyond profits

Adolescence makes it clear that while policy changes are necessary, businesses themselves must take responsibility for the online environments they create. Social media companies have long prioritised engagement and ad revenue over the wellbeing of young users. Now, they must step up.

This means designing platforms that minimise harm, ensuring transparency in how algorithms work, and prioritising authentic interactions over exploitative engagement tactics.

Crucially, any real solution must include the voices of young people themselves. As digital natives, they experience both the benefits and harms of online spaces firsthand. Their insights are critical in shaping policies and platform changes that genuinely protect and empower them.

Listening to youth: A Global Child Forum initiative

Recognising this need, Global Child Forum is calling on tech and telecom companies to directly engage with young people about their digital lives and to elevate youth perspectives in conversations about online safety, mental health, and responsible platform design.

By listening to young users, companies can develop policies that actually reflect their needs—whether it’s rethinking content moderation strategies, re-evaluating algorithmic recommendations, or establishing clear ethical guidelines for engagement. Global Child Forum’s initiative aims to bridge the gap between corporate decision-makers and the young people their platforms impact daily.

Adolescence is not just a powerful drama—it’s a wake-up call. It challenges policymakers, businesses, educators, and parents to take urgent action in rethinking how young people interact with digital spaces.

As Thorne puts it, “We will not solve the problem by kicking this issue into the long grass.” The time for meaningful, youth-centred solutions is now.

*‘The younger me would have sat up and nodded’: Adolescence writer Jack Thorne on the insidious appeal of incel culture, Jack Thorne, The Guardian, March 18th 2025