Netflix's 'Adolescence' hits home hard, says British PM

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday met the creators of "Adolescence", the Netflix drama about a boy charged over the killing of a female classmate which has sparked a national conversation about the impact of social media on teenagers.

The four-part show explores how the ideas of online influencers such as self-described misogynist Andrew Tate can shape the views of children hooked on smartphones and drive them to violence.

A national conversation

Starmer said he backed Netflix's decision to make the "groundbreaking" series available to watch for free in schools across the country.

"As a father, watching this show with my teenage son and daughter, I can tell you - it hit home hard," he said in a statement after meeting "Adolescence" co-writer Jack Thorne, charities and young people at his Downing Street office.

"As I see from my own children, openly talking about changes in how they communicate, the content they're seeing, and exploring the conversations they're having with their peers is vital."

The immersive drama, whose episodes were shot in a single, continuous take, made British television history this month by becoming the first streaming show to top TV viewership charts.

Nearly 6.5 million people watched its first episode and 5.9 million its second in the week of March 10-16, data from by TV ratings compiler Barb showed.

Addressing toxic masculinity

Thorne, who has said children should not be given smartphones until they turn 14, called the impact of toxic masculinity and so-called incel culture, which can drive hatred towards women and girls, a growing crisis.

"We made this show to provoke a conversation," he said in a statement. "So to have the opportunity to take this into schools is beyond our expectations. We hope it'll lead to teachers talking to the students, but what we really hope is it'll lead to students talking amongst themselves."