Stephen Graham, who stars, co-writes, and co-creates the four-part hit drama Adolescence on Netflix, is being applauded for producing content on such a frank subject matter—teen violence in schools. It’s so candid that emotions stick with you long after the credits have finished rolling. 

Co-written and -created with Jack Thorne, the series portrays a 13-year-old boy named Jamie (Owen Cooper) who is arrested for murdering a female classmate. Katie (Emilia Holliday) is stabbed seven times near a public playground, which is only a short walk from their school. Her neck, chest, thighs, and arms illustrate a brutal killing and purposeful attack. 

As gruesome as that sounds, the UK-based series is receiving critical acclaim and support from advocacy groups for its transparent depiction of what some school-age children encounter each year. 

Graham was interviewed at the series premier in Liverpool, England, discussing the real-life inspiration of 12-year-old Ava White, who a 14-year-old boy fatally stabbed in his hometown of Liverpool. He cited another example of a 15-year-old girl attacked by a 17-year-old with a kitchen knife outside a shopping center. 

“It really hit my heart,” Graham said to the Guardian UK. “I just thought: ‘What’s happening? How have we come to this? What’s going on with our society?’” 

What’s interesting about the series is that it’s neither a crime mystery or a documentary; it’s a characterization of crime everywhere happening against girls by fellow schoolmates. And it’s necessary. 

After only two weeks on Netflix, Adolescence broke a streaming record with 88 million views. On “Sunday Today with Willie Geist,” Danielle Hamegen reports about the Miller family in the show, their lives torn apart by the authorities and the gripping continuous shot. 

She reports about British Prime Minister Keir Starmer addressing Parliament about the series, noting that he watched it with his children and insists all schools should view it. 

On CNN, Graham was asked about the harrowing incel culture and why this project is so essential at this time. “As I was leaning in and trying to understand, I actually found a lot of things that were surprising to me, and a lot of ideas that, if I’d heard them at the wrong time, would have taken me on journeys that I’m very grateful I didn’t go on,” he said. 

While most parents can’t begin to think about such a heinous crime, the writer suggests that it’s crucial to open our minds to the reality that something like this, coming from someone so young, is happening. Additionally, he believes it may begin with social media. 

“I think we need to find a way of dealing with social media. How we do that with the people that are governing social media right now is very tough because it’s not going to come from (the platforms) policing themselves,” he said to CNN. “And in America, it’s not going to come from legislation either.”