Young People Watching Netflix - '13 Reasons Why'

Recently Netflix released a show called '13 Reasons Why', telling the story of a girl who suicides, leaving tapes for the classmates which place blame on them.

Youth mental health and suicide prevention services worldwide have expressed concerns about the show, especially the graphic nature of some of the scenes.

How to respond, as a parent and educator?

The temptation might be to tell young people not to watch it, but this might only reinforce the idea that suicide should not be discussed. Instead, it is important for adults around young people to be ready to talk with them about the content as well as about what they should do if they or one of their friends need help.

Here are some documents to help with this:

1. Possible discussion points about the show: click here.

1. Summary of the plot and explanation of what material may be distressing or even triggering for vulnerable young people: click here.

Conversations about asking for help and reaching out to those who are struggling happen regularly at the College, culminating in our marking of RUOK week later in the year.

Ms Shauna Lipscombe
Senior School Psychologist