The manosphere is mentioned explicitly for only a few minutes in Adolescence, the wildly popular Netflix show about a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering his female classmate, Katie. Its influence on the withdrawn protagonist, Jamie (played by Owen Cooper), is largely implied. Yet Adolescence’s clear reckoning with the online world that’s shaped him has come to dominate reactions to the series. Older viewers have reported recognizing similarities between their sons’ internet-shaped worldviews and Jamie’s; British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that, as a father, he found Adolescence hard to watch. Educators have noted the show’s authenticity, as have teenagers themselves. Adolescence has even become something akin to required viewing in the United Kingdom, where Netflix has made it available to stream free of charge in various secondary schools.
The show’s popularity—it is reportedly Netflix’s third-most-watched…