The series Adolescencea recent Netflix phenomenon, begins with a serious fact in which A 13 -year -old murders a classmate. Although the story is not based on real events, according to its producers, it would be inspired by several murders committed by adolescents in the United Kingdom, and becomes the mirror of a hyperconnected society.
What most attracts attention is not only the fact, but the questions he leaves in the air: what led a child of such a young age to commit this crime? What did the adults see to their
around?
And the most disturbing: How many children like him are now, alone in their room, with free access to a world that their parents don’t even suspect? His parents, like so many others in real life, wanted him. He had affected his home, food at the table, occasional hugs. However, there was no conversation. They did not know that their son spent the morning sailing and watching videos that promoted hatred and misogyny.
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“We believed that there was safe,” says the parents in the series, with a mixture of pain and disbelief. But the enemy was not on the street, but inside the house, camouflaged entertainment.
The psychoanalyst Lucía Restrepo emphasizes that adolescence does not fall into the cliché to show a young “damaged” obviously. This child was not violent, or victim of abuse, or a stalker. “That is what makes it so powerful: it confronts us with the fact that the danger is not always seen. Sometimes, we just don’t talk to our children. We do not ask. We are not interested in what they live digitally. ”
What do parents think?
For some parents who have been confronted by the series, the message left No matter how much one takes care of them, how can one control what your child sees on the cell phonechildren now come out with so much, some fashions that one does not understand, ”he said.
Likewise, Édgar Rivera, father of a 9 -year -old said that, “There must be a due transition from children to the digital world Because today it is very corrupted. It is not about Upon fulfilling an age 12 or 13 years and already takes a cell phone or computergiving them access to a context that parents practically do not know. ”
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Ignorance
A key turn of the series occurs when the detective of the case, completely lost in the face of the murderer’s behavior, receives a lesson from his own teenage son. It is this young man who mentions terms such as “Incel”, “Manosphere”, “Red Pill” or the “80/20 rule” terms related to Andrew Tate, a character known as a reference of misogyny and sexual crimes to which they refer in the series.
These are words thatfor the detective and For many adults, they represent anything because they do not understand their meaning, but that are part of the ideological universe of many teenagers today.
“NOr we know their language, their referents, their idols. We are raising from ignorance, ”says Restrepo. And that ignorance is dangerous, because it leaves the free ground so that radical influencers such as Andrew Tate, who is mentioned in the series, fill that void with hate speeches that viralize at the speed of a click.
For her part, child psychiatrist Catalina Ayala warns that adolescence is a stage marked by impulsivity, magical thinking and the need to belong. “Teenagers are especially vulnerable to speeches that offer them a sense of identityof power, of rebellion. If you do not find that at home or at your school, they will look for it elsewhere. And the networks are more than ready to offer them. ”But they do it at a high price. Various studies show how Tiktok and Instagram social networks have contributed to anxiety, depression, eating disorders and suicidal thoughts in young people.
The logic of The comparison constant, The search for validation external and exposure to violent or unreal speeches deteriorates self -concept and mental health.
In Colombia, An investigation of the University of the Andes revealed that 20% of adolescents have seen content that promotes self -harm. And Amnesty International has denounced Tiktok for allowing publications that incite suicide.
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“The technological gurus knew what they did,” recalls columnist Julián de Zubiría. Steve Jobs did not allow iPads at home. Bill Gates restricted access to smartphones to his children until the age of 14. They knew that platforms are not neutral. They are designed to catch, to become addicted, to mold beliefs.
So, if the creators of technology prevent their children from consuming it … Why do society give them without filters or guide? “On the scale between candy and crack, this is closer to crack,” said Chris Anderson, former director of Wired, on smartphones ..
The parenting in the digital era
The psychologist Carolina Rojas explained that the problem is not technology, but abandonment. It is not enough to block content or limit cell phone use. The solution is not alone in laws or in protection algorithms. It is in the emotional presence, in conversation, in education from home.
Experts propose to return to the essential: Active supervision, not aggressive control, quality time without screens, closer and create spaces for dialogue and trust. “It’s not a matter of prohibiting Tiktok or eliminating Instagram. It’s a matter of your child to prefer you before a stranger with millions of followers,” says Ayala.
Meanwhile, a demand filed by 41 states in the US against social networks For damage to the mental health of young people It is a precedent. Voices are being raised.
“The first thing teenagers do when you wake up is to look at the cell phone. The latest before sleeping, too. In that logic, parenting was reduced to a silent notification, ”says Lucía Restrepo.
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