Education

Press Release – Family Education Trust calls on the Government to reconsider showing the Netflix drama ‘Adolescence’ in schools

April 2, 2025

The Family Education Trust (FET) expresses its deep concern at the announcement from the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer that the Netflix drama ‘Adolescence’ will be made available for schools to show to all secondary age children. This concern is shared by many other organisations involved in the safeguarding of children, and FET’s Director, Peter D. Williams, has signed a letter organised by Victim Focus, opposing employment of this series in school settings.

The drama has a 15-certificate due to the upsetting content depicting violence and sexual language. Despite this, the Prime Minister has proposed showing this film to all pupils from Y7 upwards meaning that 11-year-olds will be exposed to age-inappropriate content.  

It is also worrying that educational policy in schools is being influenced by the writers of this show, which seems to be regarded by ministers as if it were a documentary rather than a fictional story. 

Parents have not been consulted or asked to give permission for their child to watch this show, despite the second episode normalising 13-year-old children being sexually active and watching porn. This scene uses sexually explicit language which many children may not be aware of, and which certainly should not be introduced via a TV show with no framework to support children who may be distressed by the content. 

All children develop at different rates, and it should be up to their parents when conversations about sex are introduced.  

It has been revealed that a relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) charity, Tender, has been involved with the production of this drama and has been given taxpayer’s money to teach children about so-called ‘toxic masculinity’. Tender appeared more than prepared for both the rollout of Adolescence in schools and the Prime Minister’s announcement, publishing an interview with the writers of the show on their social media accounts on 21st March. 

Last year, the Minister for Safeguarding, Jess Philips, hosted a parliamentary briefing in which Tender outlined its strategy for preventing domestic abuse and sexual violence which includes compulsory education for children from the age of five on this subject. 

FET believes that this is not only harmful for children but undermines parental authority as the primary educators of their children. 

In 2024, FET published a report by Lottie Moore, Boys and the Burden of Labels which revealed that 3 in 10 schools are already teaching boys that they are ‘toxic’ just because they are male. This risks demonising white boys and driving them further into the arms of online misogynistic influencers. 

The recommendations from the report are: 

  • The new Government should reinforce schools’ obligations to publish all Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) materials online and the parental right to view this material, as well as having an established route by which parents can raise concerns. 

  • No State-funded school should subscribe to external agencies where the concept of ‘toxic masculinity’ is covered and where these organisations are involved in political campaigning. 

  • Schools must ensure that issues surrounding healthy relationships are dealt with without stereotyping either sex. Where facts around sexual violence are explored, this must be taught holistically, without pathologising either sex as inherently ‘good’ or ‘bad’.  

  • More research must be conducted into the developmental differences between girls and boys and how they learn. This should be incorporated into teacher training. 

  • Parents should have the right to withdraw their child from all elements (relationship and health) of RHSE, not just sex education. 

END

Notes to Editors

  • The Family Education Trust is a national educational trust which researches the causes and consequences of family breakdown. It has no political or religious affiliations and is funded entirely by voluntary donations. FET conducts evidence-based academic research, always seeking to identify the underlying causes of social problems and giving particular time and attention to a wide range of areas that affect the stability of the family and the welfare of children and young people. It then uses the research for the purposes of informing, educating, influencing and supporting policymakers, educators, parents and the wider public. FET celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021.

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