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Comment and Environment

Where is the TV drama to move the dial on climate change?

UK show Adolescence is sparking debate about the harm of social media. We need a series to do the same for the most pressing crisis of our times, says Bethan Ackerley

By Bethan Ackerley

23 April 2025

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

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Everyone in the UK is talking about Adolescence. Created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, the hit TV drama follows the investigation into a 13-year-old boy accused of killing a female classmate. It has sparked conversations about social media and the so-called manosphere, an online community of misogynistic influencers.

It has been so widely praised that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently met the team behind Adolescence to discuss the online radicalisation of teenage boys. Meanwhile, the leader of the UK’s Conservative party, Kemi Badenoch, endured a minor media firestorm after revealing she hadn’t seen the series.

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