Netflix’s Adolescence is a national wake up call. Young people are in crisis and the Church must help

The new TV drama tackles the murder of a schoolgirl and her classmate’s arrest. It doesn’t shy away from all the hard topics: toxic masculinity, gender wars, online bullying and a struggling education system. Christians should watch it now, says Krish Kandiah

The new Netflix series Adolescence is, without a doubt, the most psychologically gripping, visually brilliant thing I have watched on television in as long as I can remember.

It is more than just another coming-of-age drama; more than a profound and timely commentary on the challenges faced by youth today. It feels like a national wake up call.

Much like Wilfred Owen’s 1917 poem ‘Anthem for a Doomed Youth’, which shed light on the immense losses experienced during the first world war, Adolescence brings a sobering awareness of how youth are getting caught in the crossfire of ideological divides, a struggling education system and social media pressures.

While Owen’s work opened eyes to the tragic realities of war, Adolescence explores…