The British drama Adolescence streaming on Netflix deals with the influence of social media among teenagers and its psychological effects.

The exchange of certain emojis through Instagram leads to heated arguments between 13-year-old kids and a murder afterwards.

The already viral four-episode series, streaming on Netflix, created by writer Jack Thorne and actor Stephen Graham and directed by Philip Barantini, helps us to understand certain sensitive issues faced by teenagers during their adolescence.

The Insta generation of ours is dealing with many issues in their virtual world; however, those issues sometimes emerge and turn violent.

In Adolescence, the 13-year-old boy, Jamie Miller (played by Owen Cooper), was constantly bullied by his fellow students at school via social media.

The other student, Katie, especially targeted him on Instagram, calling him ugly and an incel. This enraged the 13-year-old, leading to a violent altercation in a public place and the murder of Katie by knife stabs.

The story is neither a murder mystery nor a psychological thriller, as the scene unfolds in the first episode itself. However, viewers remain glued to their screens to learn the facts presented by the fascinating screenplay.

Adolescence has been critically acclaimed and has broken the record for the most-watched series on Netflix in the United Kingdom.

The British Prime Minister has already recommended the series be shown in British high schools to address the rising influence of social media platforms in schools.

The series in its screenplay uses certain social media emojis, such as the red pill ( )emoji representing the truth about gender dynamics and a link to ‘incel culture’, the 100 emoji ( )linked to the ‘80/20 rule’ (which suggests that 80% of women are attracted to only 20% of men), and the kidney bean emoji, which is used as an identifier within certain groups.

Adolescence also lets us think deeply about the growing issue related to incel culture, which is about the online community of men who describe themselves as involuntary celibates.

This community has a deep resentment against women as well as other men who are sexually active.

The popular series now streaming on Netflix raises concern about parental guidance amidst the pool of social media.

These days, teenagers have their own set of virtual-world friend circles, using a specific code language on Instagram to avoid parental control.

In this scenario of the urban world, parents must be inquisitive rather than interrogative in dealing with their teenager’s social media connections.

Parental eagerness to understand the nuances of social media lingo will be truly helpful in addressing the psychological depth of a teenager’s mind.

The Netflix series may not be a nationwide crowd-puller, but in India’s buzzing metro cities and fast-paced urban hubs, it strikes a familiar chord — capturing the chaos, charm, and consequences of living in a world ruled by social media.

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NB: Incel: a member of an online community of young men who consider themselves unable to attract women sexually, typically associated with views that are hostile towards women and men who are sexually active