BBC Grills Member of Parliament for Not Watching Enough TV
Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch said she doesn’t have to watch Adolescence to understand the show’s themes.
A popular Netflix series is causing a stir in the United Kingdom over what should be the proper driving force behind policy change: politicians or pop culture?
Last week, BBC Breakfast hosts accused Kemi Badenoch, a member of Parliament, of being culturally out of touch for not watching the four-part Netflix series Adolescence. The show, which has become the biggest-ever U.K. Netflix drama, depicts the fictional story of a 13-year-old boy who is accused of stabbing a female classmate to death. Along the way, the show presents potential factors driving his murderous rage, from parental role modeling to cyberbullying and online incel culture. The popularity of the drama has helped catapult the themes of toxic masculinity, misogyny, and smartphone use in schools into the cultural spotlight.
Since the release, the show's writer, Jack Thorne, has pushed for the series to be shown in Parliament and across schools to spark "radical action" to tackle issues addressed in Adolescence, a sentiment shared by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Badenoch, the current leader of the opposition, recently clashed with Starmer after he blocked a bill that would ban the use of cellphones in schools. Starmer believed the policy unnecessary since schools already have the power to ban phones and would prefer to limit what content children can access online from anywhere. Badenoch urged Starmer to change his vote, arguing that only "one in 10 schools are smartphone-free" despite that "evidence already shows that schools that ban phones get better results."
Given Badenoch's strong position on adolescent smartphone use, it was understandable that the BBC Breakfast interviewers would want to connect her policy agenda to the megapopular Netflix drama.
During the interview, however, Badenoch explained that she did not plan on watching Adolescence because she had already researched the issues and did not think the fictional show would be a valuable use of her time. Tensions rose when BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty pushed back and asserted that the show "has made much more of an impact than any politician." Munchetty wanted to know why Badenoch wouldn't want to know "straight from the horse's mouth" what parents are saying about smartphone use.
The heated exchange left little room for nuance and assumed that adolescent smartphone use is undoubtedly harmful to children. However, the studies around smartphone ownership are a lot more mixed. While some kids may find their anxiety and/or depression symptoms exacerbated by smartphone or social media use, other kids may experience an increase in well-being with smartphone ownership. The data paint a complex picture with no simple answer. Unfortunately, U.K. leaders like Badenoch are battling it out over one-size-fits-all approaches that won't necessarily improve children's well-being.
Of course, a balance between politicians' agendas and cultural concerns is necessary to lead a country. But even in her patronizing way, at least Badenoch takes her job as a member of Parliament seriously and isn't just sitting at home bingeing Netflix.
