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TV shows can help teenagers deal with societal issues such as suicide and sexual assault, study finds

Many teenagers and parents who watched controversial show ‘13 Reasons Why’ found it beneficial

Sabrina Barr
Monday 26 March 2018 17:44 BST
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Netflix
Netflix

TV is an incredibly powerful medium, with the potential to impact the way millions of people from around the world think and feel about a certain topic.

When the first season of 13 Reasons Why was released on Netflix in March last year, it received both high praise and criticism for the way in which it addressed important topics such as teenage bullying, sexual assault and suicide.

Some believed that the inclusion of graphic scenes, such as the portrayal of the suicide of lead character Hannah, glamourised serious issues.

However, according to recent research commissioned by Netflix and approved by the Institutional Review Board of Northwestern University, the majority of adolescents and parents who watched the show found it beneficial.

More than 5,000 people from the US, UK, Brazil and Australia who had watched the show were surveyed, with 1,200 of the participants hailing from the UK.

“We were really interested in trying to understand the attitudes of the respondents to 13 Reasons Why, their comprehension of some of the main topics that were discussed and how they changed their behaviour,” Drew Cingel, research collaborator and assistant professor at University of California, told The Independent.

“We were also interested in the degree to which they felt they were supported by the show, that they had the resources available to them to talk about these topics, but also any sort of resources that they may wish for in the future.”

The majority of the adolescents and young adults in the UK who participated in the study felt that the topics addressed in the show resonated with them and their peers.

75 per cent stated that individuals in their age group had experienced similar issues, with 69 per cent saying that they believe that the show is helpful for people their age.

One of the most significant aspects of the study was exploring whether teenagers and their parents felt the show helped them talk more openly with one another about various subjects that they may have otherwise found difficult to address.

According to the results of the study, 56 per cent of parents reported that watching 13 Reasons Why with their children enabled them to start conversations about the themes covered in the show.

“A majority of parents reported that exposure to the show prompted them to talk about depression, suicide, bullying and sexual assault with their child,” Cingel said.

However, 68 per cent stated that they want more mental health resources included in the show in future.

With 13 Reasons Why named the fifth most streamed TV show on Netflix in 2017, incorporating the feedback of its viewers and ensuring that the show provides resources and support for its audience going forward is of paramount importance.

“We had no idea frankly how wide-reaching the conversations would be,” Matthew Thunell, director of original series at Netflix, told The Independent.

“We set out to start a conversation and hope that it would become a global conversation, but there’s no way we could have predicted that it would reach as far as it did.”

The second season of the show, which is reportedly due to come out later this year, will place more of an emphasis on mental health.

“Over 60 per cent of parents asked for more resources throughout the episodes, including having mental health professionals provide resources at the end of the particularly difficult episodes and having the cast come out of character to provide resources,” explained Cingel.

“What’s being provided in season two is what the respondents were asking for.”

While the study is very informative, it's important to note that it was commissioned by Netflix and therefore the results may potentially show bias.

13 Reasons Why will continue to cover tough topics in the second season, including teenage drug use, said Thunell.

The first season culminated with a 29-minute short film called Beyond the Reasons in which the cast, producers and mental health professionals spoke about the subject matters covered by the show.

The show also promotes the website 13reasonswhy.info, which provides information about the programme and resources to a number of mental health organisations.

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