Recently I watched13 Reasons Why, a Netflix show that grapples with the difficult subject matter of teenage suicide. I tuned in on the recommendation of a friend I attended high school with 20 years ago. She and I agreed that the show captured the emotional challenges, like bullying and romantic firsts, of teenage years in arresting detail.
After subsequently learning that Canadian school boards had issued warnings about the show—the concern being that it glorifies suicide—I wondered, does it? I asked our teenage babysitter, who had also just watched it, her thoughts. She felt the show accurately depicted how seemingly small things, like a mean comment on social media, can pile up quickly. I expressed the worry that it could encourage the idea of suicide as a way to get revenge for cruel acts. With decades between us, the thing we agreed on absolutely: we couldn’t get the show out of our heads.
In the end, the only definitive conclusion I came to about the warning on 13 Reasons Why is how important it is, at every age, to talk about the media we are consuming. Regardless of any warning label, it’s out there, and teens are watching it. One of the pitfalls the parents of the troubled teen in the show fall into is not seeing or communicating about what’s bothering their child. Lest we, too, live in unintentional avoidance, parents, friends, and educators of teens should be aware that the concerns and conversations this show is raising are ones we want to be in on.
Reminder: Don’t miss the last week to see Sight-Finding at Alfred-Langevin Cultural Hall, illuminating perspectives from young photography students until June 11th.
