British PM supports Adolescence drama for school viewing

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday met the creators of "Adolescence", the Netflix drama about a boy charged over the killing of a female classmate, which has sparked a national conversation about the impact of social media on teenagers.

The four-part show explores how the ideas of online influencers, such as self-described misogynist Andrew Tate, can shape the views of children hooked on smartphones and drive them to violence.

Starmer backed Netflix's decision to make the "groundbreaking" series available for free in schools nationwide.

"As a father, watching this show with my teenage son and daughter, I can tell you - it hit home hard," he said after meeting "Adolescence" co-writer Jack Thorne, charities, and young people at his Downing Street office.

"As I see from my children, openly talking about changes in how they communicate, the content they're seeing, and exploring the conversations they're having with their peers is vital."

The immersive drama, whose episodes were shot in a single, continuous take, made British television history this month by becoming the first streaming show to top TV viewership charts.

Data from TV ratings compiler Barb showed that nearly 6.5 million people watched its first episode and 5.9 million watched the second in the week of March 10-16.

Thorne, who has said children should not be given smartphones until they turn 14, called the impact of toxic masculinity and so-called incel culture, which can drive hatred towards women and girls, a growing crisis.

"We made this show to provoke a conversation," he said. "So to have the opportunity to take this into schools is beyond our expectations. We hope it'll lead to teachers talking to the students, but we hope it'll lead to students talking amongst themselves."