Netflix’s Adolescence: an unsettling reminder of the toxic effect of social media on children

Paul McNamara is a GP in Glasgow and honorary clinical lecturer at the University of Glasgow. He is on X: @DocPaulMcNamara

Nicholas Dunn is a 3rd year medical student at the University of Glasgow

The rise of social media has undoubtedly transformed the way people communicate, connect, and express themselves – especially amongst children and young adults. The recent hit Netflix drama, Adolescence, provides a deeply unsettling portrayal of how social media can negatively influence young people, and in particular, young males. As a father to three girls, the rapidly shifting online landscape fills me* with abject fear and terror!

The Netflix drama, Adolescence is a fictional story which centres on a 13-year-old boy who is arrested for the murder of his female classmate. The show has ignited serious concern about the impact of smartphones and social media on the mental health of young people. It illustrates how a young male could become ensnared in very problematic online communities. It highlights an emerging area of concern with regards to bullying, toxic masculine behaviours, and violence against women and girls. Adolescence brought home, quite literally, the reality of the potential dangers of modern life in a digital world. It not only made me reflect on how technology might be shaping my children; but on what implications will it have for my patients and clinical practice.

Young people use a variety of platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram to satisfy their various social media cravings.¹ Social media have undeniable benefits when harnessed correctly. They allow like-minded people to connect and form connections. When used inappropriately however, the effects can be can be terrifying.

Social media negatively affects boys and girls in different ways. A study conducted by researchers at Dublin City University found a positive correlation between social media usage and depressive symptoms in both boys and girls, however the effect was greater in girls. They cited numerous factors such as poor sleep quality, online harassment, low self-esteem and negative body image.² Excessive screen time, particularly around bedtime can negatively affect sleep quality and therefore exacerbate symptoms of depression and anxiety.³ Furthermore, use can reduce concentration and be detrimental to academic performance. Individuals may develop a negative body image due to comparison with social media influencers, some of whom edit their photos without disclosing that fact. Additionally, the normalisation of steroid use and the emerging phenomenon of ‘physique inflation’ could trigger those with poor body image or body dysmorphic disorder. The addictive nature of social media, driven by algorithms and constant notifications, can reduce children’s ability to focus and increase impulsive behaviour.⁴ Moreover, the dopamine reward system reinforces constant scrolling, creating a cycle of dependency that can affect emotional regulation.⁵ The complex relationship between physical and mental health is particularly relevant with regards to social media use and addiction. Excess screen time, which is often indoors, is linked to lower vitamin D levels, reduced physical activity and hence increased levels of childhood obesity.^{6, 7} Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to an increase in depressive symptoms; this is also the case with low levels of exercise – each factor compounding the other.⁸ The downstream effects on confidence, self-esteem and social skills feedback, creating a vicious cycle.

Cyberbullying is a particularly challenging aspect of technology and social media usage. While in the past there may have been more of a disconnect between bullying in school, and the sanctuary that some find at home, there is little or no escape from cyberbullying. According to findings by researchers from the University of Warwick, 29% of teenagers report being bullied and only 1% were victims of cyberbullying alone. Therefore, children face a double whammy, enhancing the damaging impact of bullying. The research also stated that girls were twice as likely to report being cyberbullied.⁹

One of the particularly well-known phenomena associated with the internet is the echo chamber effect. Extreme beliefs may be bolstered by tailored social media feeds and (for example) contribute to the ‘manosphere’, ‘a conglomerate of Web-based misogynist movements roughly focused on “men’s issues,” which has seen significant growth over the past years’.¹⁰ The rise of misogynistic violence linked to social media in young people is of particular concern and I find it incredulous (and frightening) that figures like Andrew Tate are followed by millions of impressionable young males online. The popularity of OnlyFans models on social media such as X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram, coupled with the continued access to pornographic material at young ages could result in young males objectifying women and having improper expectations of sex. This drives young males into circles such as the ‘Manosphere’, hence deepening the problem.¹⁰

Adolescence offers a stark reminder of the dangers of under-regulated and unmonitored social media use in young people. This raises the obvious question, what can be done to help solve this growing problem? The Online Safety Act 2023 has already demonstrated the positive intent of decision makers in the UK to improve online safety for young people; the intent of which was holding social media platforms responsible for protecting its users. New duties were set out by the Act including, limiting young people’s access to pornography, content promoting self-harm, and content depicting serious violence – moving this content behind age verification checkpoints.¹¹ While this is a positive step, it is far from fail-safe. On 26th February 2025 Instagram users’ feeds were flooded with videos of extreme violence, acts of torture, and deaths. Meta has since apologised for this episode which was put down as an algorithm malfunction.¹²

The UK government could decide to follow in Australia’s footsteps by banning social media for under 16s. The ban in Australia has already been approved and will be enforced from December 2025.¹³ There are mixed feelings about the ban: some in favour; and some feeling that better platform-regulation would be more effective. There is some ambiguity about what falls under such a ban. Additionally, children and young people will be more than capable of finding ways to circumvent the ban using methods such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) or otherwise. A ban could force children to hide their use from parents, limit monitoring and worsen internet safety – creating a vulnerable, un-catered for, cohort of users. Alternatively, there could be more stringent monitoring and policies in place to protect young people from harmful content. Schools could provide more technology literacy and online safety lessons. Furthermore, additional relationship and sexual health education could prove useful for young people.

From a primary care perspective, providing support to younger patients presenting with low mood is of critical importance. This may be via social prescribing, emotional regulation strategies, medications and CBT when appropriate. Every day, I see the realities of the rise in mental health disorders among young people. This is only compounded by the ever-growing waiting lists to CAMHS, which has a knock-on effect to primary care workload and adds stress to suffering families.

It may be useful to have routine screening questions for children and young adults presenting with mental health issues relating to social media, technology, and beliefs about relationships. Particularly with younger individuals it may be more useful to guide them to conclusions such as limiting social media, rather than outright giving them instructions. Supporting parents or caregivers with advice to protect children online could also prove useful. This might include discussing screen-time limits, restrictions around bedtime and limiting technology during the school week.

As a father, I know how hard it is to shield our young people from the digital world (trust me, I’ve tried), but I hope that we can help them to navigate the online landscape with safety and equip them with the necessary skills until they surmount the treacherous time that is adolescence.

*The references to practice and fatherhood all are the voice of Paul McNamara.

References

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2. Park K, Ging D, Murphy S, McGrath C. The impact of the use of social media on women and girls [Internet]. Europarl. 2023 [cited 2025 Apr 22]. Available from: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2023/743341/IPOL_STU(2023)743341_EN.pdf
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10. Horta Ribeiro M, Blackburn J, Bradlyn B, De Cristofaro E, Stringhini G, Long S, Greenberg S, Zannettou S. The evolution of the manosphere across the web. arXiv. 2020 Jan 21. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338737324_The_Evolution_of_the_Manosphere_Across_the_Web
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12. Milmo D. Meta apologises over flood of gore, violence and dead bodies on Instagram. The guardian [Internet]. 2025 Feb 28 [cited 2025 Apr 22]; Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/feb/28/meta-apologises-over-flood-of-gore-violence-and-dead-bodies-on-instagram
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