A Netflix Show With Repercussions.
June 13, 2017
Almost immediately after “13 Reasons Why” debuted on Netflix at the end of March, the controversial show, which is based on a book by Jay Asher, went viral among teenagers. The series tells the story of Hannah Baker—a teen who is bullied, assaulted, and feels let down by the people in her life. She leaves behind 13 mysterious audio recordings on cassette tapes after killing herself. She addresses each record to a person who played a role in her tragic decision to end her own life.
In first place, a lot of the controversy comes from the fact that Hannah died by cutting her wrists and then lying in her bathtub. We see her mother find her after it’s too late. A lot of people are saying that they could barely watch the scene and for some of them it even took days to recover from watching it. The show’s tremendous popularity continues to grow and parents, teachers, school administrators, mental health professionals, and others have raised several concerns.
Moreover, mental health professionals are worried because the show made suicide look quick, like it was an easy way out. It depicted Anna’s death as a relaxing process, like she was just going to sleep. People are saying that it’s irresponsible for the producers to make it seem this way, because suicide isn’t as peaceful as just going to sleep while sad music plays in the background. Although this scene may be upsetting for most people, for teens who are actually contemplating suicide, it’s dangerous. According to specialists it looks too easy and it even provides a how-to. A young adult who lives in South Carolina agreed with the specialists by saying: “If Had I been watching that as the vulnerable, fragile kid that I was when I was 13 or 14 years old, I might have thought, ‘Oh, that’s the easy way out. This is going to get me the attention that I need. This is what I have to do,’ ” said Curtis.
finally, other people suggest the show could provide a valuable opportunity to discuss suicide risk with young people, as well as teaching them how to identify warning signs of depression or suicidal thoughts among their peers.They believe the show, including its ending, is a good tool to hopefully get teens together in a “structured environment” to talk about bullying and its consequences. However, the conversation should happen in a place that teens “can feel comfortable talking about these things.”
According to specialists, an other problem with this TV show is that it makes it seems as if there are no effective alternatives to suicide. It sends the message that adults are useless, peers are cruel and the only solution is to die.
But even if 13 reasons why is the most-discussed show on social media, it did not stop them to make a season two which is expected to land in 2018. All the fans are really exited but the mental health professionals are still worried about the consequences that this show could cause on teenagers.
(written by Laura Drouin, edited by Lorryann Faucher)
