Netflix's Adolescence has brought the impact of ‘incel’ culture on young people to the forefront of many people's minds in recent weeks - particularly parents, those working with young people and parliamentarians. The four-episode drama follows 13-year-old Jamie Miller, who is accused of stabbing a female classmate.
Responding to Labour MP Anneliese Midgley, Prime Minister Keir Starmer backed calls for the show to be aired to students in schools, but that alone isn’t enough to tackle the issues.
An ‘incel’ is a person, usually a cisgender man, who regards himself as being ‘involuntarily celibate’ and typically expresses extreme resentment and hostility toward those who are sexually active - Merriam-Webster
Incels were once seen as basement-dwelling internet-surfacers, but with the rise of ‘manosphere’ influencers such as Andrew Tate - who is referenced in the series - and the increasing rates of attacks on young girls, the dangers posed by incel culture has become more apparent to society and to government - National Audit Office
When I go into schools to speak with pupils about consent, their understanding of incel culture is evident. When I ask students why people may have sex even if they don’t necessarily want to, the most common response is ‘girls are afraid to say no to a boy.’
The lack of understanding about the nuances of consent and broader sex education are clear to me, and so is the value in this series. But the broader analysis from sex educators and charity leaders who work in this space is clear: this show is only a starting point for the broader conversations on consent, internet safety, and gender violence that are needed.
As Soma Sara, CEO of anti-rape movement organisation Everyone’s Invited says, “Misogyny is endemic amongst young people.” She argues we’re beyond the point of mere prevention - the issue is so urgent we need to think of it as an intervention.
Testimonies from primary school abuse survivors, collected from 1,662 schools, show that misogyny has and continues to be a fundamental part of young people's school experiences - Everyone’s Invited
So how can schools tackle this issue? Showing one series won’t provide young people with the tools needed to navigate this issue alone, but comprehensive, age-appropriate, and inclusive sex education will.
As of May 2024, the UK’s RSHE (relationship and sexual health education) guidance has been under consultation. The Tories’ proposed RSHE guidance stated that the concept of gender identity ‘is highly contested and should not be taught’. It also went further, increasing the age at which children would learn about critical concepts like consent. Many organisations say the change limits the “preventative role of RSHE” - QueerAF
Labour is now reviewing the proposed guidance and is expected to deliver the new curriculum in the summer of 2025. The education secretary has already said some of the proposed changes drifted too far into “partisan language" - Evening Standard
But for now, this leaves us in a period of uncertainty, which is dangerous for young people’s needs in an age where stories like Adolescence capture many truths about our world.
Just as with LGBTQIA+ education, conversations on incel culture and misogyny need to be weaved throughout the curriculum, where young people can see how these topics can impact various areas of their lives and relationships.
Misogynist culture is fuelling so much of the discrimination towards Trans+ women and the wider queer community. But misogyny also hurts and impacts every individual, regardless of gender identity - and that is a conversation we all need to understand. Equality isn’t a zero-sum game; tackling misogyny improves all of our lives - including men’s.
I’m glad this TV show has brought this subject to the forefront. The next step is for us to deliver a significant shift in the way we educate our young people and the array of resources and experiences we use to do so.
But we can’t do that without a change in the way we encourage young people to work with us. It is the young people in the show who give the police their smoking gun; without them, the motive behind Jamie’s actions wouldn’t have come to light.
To tackle misogyny, we need to work with young people, listen to them, and provide accessible and inclusive resources within RSHE that reflect a multitude of experiences from different backgrounds.
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