A mother has revealed the three questions she immediately asked her 10-year-old after watching the new hit series, Adolescence.
Speaking to Mamamia, journalist Isabelle Silberry, from Australia, shared the three questions she ‘never thought to ask’ to her son, but which ‘opened up’ important conversations.
Just two weeks ago, Stephen Graham’s latest show Adolescence has skyrocketed straight to the top of Netflix charts, with viewers captivated by it’s eye-opening social commentary on the rise of incel ideology.
The series follows the story of 13-year-old Jamie Miller, played by Owen Cooper, who is accused of brutally murdering a fellow classmate, Katie, after being introduced to radical anti-feminist ideas online.
The now critically acclaimed four-part series has sparked discourse online, in homes and even in parliament – with many looking at who to blame and how to put a stop to the online radicalisation of young men.
One viewer, a mother from Australia revealed how she ‘ran’ into her son’s room after the finale of the show, having being ‘jolted into action’, and desperate to know ‘what our boys are experiencing’.
She noted that, like many young boys, her son had the tendency to ‘bounce between defensiveness and vulnerability’, and the conversation required her to conquer her ‘default’ as a mother which was to ‘shut down’.
Perching on the end of her bed, she explained to her son that she had some free time and wanted to spend it with him because she loves him.
Speaking to Mamamia, journalist Isabelle Silberry, from Australia, shared the three questions she ‘never thought to ask’ to her son, but which ‘opened up’ important conversation (pictured with her son)
The series follows the story of 13-year-old Jamie Miller, played by Owen Cooper, who is accused of brutally murdering a fellow classmate, Katie, after being introduced to radical anti-feminist ideas online
Perplexed, he then asked her if everything was okay, to which she asked the ‘frightening’ questions she never thought she would.
Firstly, she asked: ‘What do you think about the girls at school?’
Next, ‘What does being a boy feel like for you?’
And finally, Isabelle asked her son, ‘What do you think a good man does?’
The writer said she would keep his answers to herself to ‘respect his privacy’, but insisted that the exchange opened the two up to having important and open conversations.
Watching the show, the mother-of-two pointed to a pivotal scene from episode three on the series with Jamie’s psychologist, where she noted that the expert held space for him ‘even when he beomes extremely aggressive, to the point of terrifying her’.
She emphasised her ability to ask questions that allowed Jamie to ‘open up’ and how not ‘telling him off’ helped to foster better conversations.
The now critically acclaimed four-part series has sparked discourse online, in homes and even in parliament – with many looking at who to blame and how to put a stop to the online radicalisation of young men
During the episode, the child psychologist, Briony Ariston, played Erin Doherty, asked Jamie one powerful question.
She asked: ‘What you think is more important to me than what is true?’
The sentiment hit home to Isabelle, who said she had saved it her notes
Having watched the show, Isabelle vowed to take make precautions when it came to her son’s online movements.
She said she now monitors his kids’ messenger and looks out for the communications between boys and girls alike.
Her observations even led her to having to confront him on some of the communications with other children, which she subsequently asked him to apologise for.
She vowed to not let him have access to social media until he was of an appropriate age.
Just two weeks ago, Stephen Graham’s latest show Adolescence has skyrocketed straight to the top of Netflix charts, with viewers captivated by it’s eye-opening social commentary on the rise of incel ideology
Watching the show, the mother-of-two pointed to a pivotal scene from episode three on the series with Jamie’s psychologist, where she noted that the expert held space for him ‘even when he beomes extremely aggressive, to the point of terrifying her’
Elsewhere, she said she is now more involved with his school and frequently checks in with his teachers on communications in the school playground.
Additionally, she said she pays closer attention to what he talks about when friends come over, not out of mistrust, but to ‘grab any opportunity to address things as they happen and open up the lines of communication so he feels heard and seen.’
The mother-of-two insisted that she didn’t want to have ‘regrets’ and acknowledged the equal importance of putting the welfare and safety of her baby girl first.
‘I don’t want to ever say to her «Sorry, I should’ve done better,’ she concluded.
The new series have proved a hit with viewers, as well as stoking widespread conversation about the rise of incel ideology growing online – particularly with the rise of anti-feminist influencers like Andrew Tate.
In its simplest form, an incel or involuntary celibate refers to someone unable to find a romantic or sexual partner despite wanting one.
In recent years, a more radicalised sub-culture of incels has formed online, across a network of blogs and forums collectively known as the ‘manosphere’, that is characterised by an extreme hatred for women due to intense feelings of sexual frustration.
The show’s release comes after a 2022 report found that incel sites in the UK grew from 114,420 monthly visits to 638,505 amid concerns that boys as young as 14 are being sucked into this community.
Against this backdrop, Graham told The Independent is incumbent upon parents to become more ‘mindful’ of ‘external influences’ that might be shaping the lives of their children – including access to these ‘woman-hating’ ideologies in the ‘manoshere’.
