If you’re a faithful student of what’s trending on Netflix, you might not need any introduction to Adolescence: The British limited series, following the arrest of a 13-year-old boy for a female classmate’s murder, delves deep into thorny territory of how our society has socialised young men and boys to treat the women in their lives as inferior.
While it may be tempting to dismiss the actions of men who enact violence against women as monstrous, Adolescence connects the dots between the global domination of social media and the rising normalisation of cultural misogyny to demonstrate just how easy it is for children like Jamie, the show’s protagonist (played by Owen Cooper), to get dangerous messages about their roles in society. If you haven’t watched the show yet, or want a primer on its admittedly difficult content before diving in, we’ve got you covered; below, find everything you need to know about Adolescence.
What is Adolescence about?
Adolescence can be understood, very broadly, as a dark warning about the potential ramifications of incel culture and the radicalisation of young men online. In the Netflix series, a 13-year-old boy named Jamie Miller is arrested on the suspicion of murder and presented with CCTV footage of himself fatally stabbing a female classmate named Katie Leonard. The show follows Jamie and his family from the police interrogation room to the school that he and Katie attended and the youth psychiatric facility where he later awaits trial, jumping forward a year in its final episode to find Jamie preparing to plead guilty while his family attempts to return to some version of normalcy.
Who stars in Adolescence, and what else do I know them from?
Owen Cooper, who portrays Jamie, is a newcomer to the industry—as one might expect, given that he’s only 15. However, he has several upcoming projects listed on IMDb, including a role as young Heathcliff in Emerald Fennell’s 2026 adaptation of Wuthering Heights.
Adolescence’s…
