Paris McNeil: Netflix series Adolescence a wake-up call for parents to help keep kids safe online

The gripping Netflix series Adolescence briefly captured the world’s attention. We had conversations about incel culture, the manosphere, and the impact of social media on young minds. But just as quickly as it arrived, the conversation disappeared. Unfortunately, we have barely scratched the surface on addressing the uncomfortable truths the show brought to light. Parents have always been a few steps behind when it comes to the content their kids are consuming. Whether it was trashy magazines in the 90s or a never-ending feed of TikToks today, there’s always been a gap between what young people see and what their parents know. But today, that gap is more dangerous than ever. The content that young people consume shapes their attitudes and beliefs about themselves, about the world, and about how they’re meant to show up in it. In 2014, my 12-year-old classmate managed to rack up hundreds of dollars of in-app purchases playing Clash of Clans, Dragonvale, and Plants vs Zombies. His parents were none the wiser until they received their credit card statement! Although that lack of oversight hurt their hip pocket, no lasting psychological damage was done to my friend as a result of his unsupervised screen time. A decade on, things have changed, and not for the better. Today, algorithms power content and parents need to understand what that means. Algorithms are designed to maximise engagement, not well being. That means the more shocking, extreme, or emotionally charged a post is, the more it gets shown. What starts as a teenage girl searching for healthy fitness tips can spiral into a feed full of eating disorder content disguised as wellness advice. A toddler watching Peppa Pig on YouTube can end up watching bizarre and disturbing “Zombie Peppa Pig” content in a matter of minutes. All of this is happening without many parents even realising. We can’t afford to stay in the dark anymore. The content being served up to children and teens today is often violent, sexual, hateful, and wildly age-inappropriate. What’s truly frightening is that it’s not just a handful of kids viewing this content, it’s mainstream. According to eSafeKids, 62 per cent of Australian teens aged 14–17 have been exposed to harmful content online. This is a persistent, systemic issue, with 28 per cent of 14–17-year-olds being exposed to content that promotes unhealthy eating behaviours on a weekly basis. This harmful content is impacting young people’s views of the world, their relationships, and their self-worth. If parents aren’t talking to them about these topics, the algorithm will. Adolescence gave us a wake-up call. Parents need to be involved. Curious. Aware. The upcoming social media ban for under 16s is a step in the right direction, but it won’t solve the problem, and it’s certainly not a free pass for parents to switch off. Harmful content isn’t limited to Instagram and TikTok, it’s everywhere online. Parents still need to be paying attention to what their kids are watching on YouTube, gaming apps, and streaming services. You wouldn’t send your child into a dark alley alone, so why are we sending them into the online world without support? We all need to take practical steps to support and protect young people online. That means setting clear boundaries around screen time and app usage, using filters and parental controls to limit access to harmful content, and actively encouraging time spent offline in the real world, creating face-to-face connections. It’s also important to teach young people how to take back control of their feeds. For example, Instagram has a “reset suggested content” button that you can use to break out of a negative content spiral. And when we do come across disturbing or inappropriate content, we should report it. These actions might seem small, but together they can make a big difference. We need to be talking with young people about how algorithms work to shape their feeds, the content they are seeing and how it makes them feel and shapes their views on topics like masculinity, beauty, mental health, and relationships. If we avoid these conversations, we’re leaving our kids to be raised by insidious algorithms. Let’s not wait for another Netflix series to remind us what’s at stake. Paris McNeil is a generation Z lawyer and youth engagement specialist