Sunderland experts set to unpack Netflix smash hit Adolescence

Published on 30, May, 2025

Captivating viewers around the world, the hit Netflix series Adolescence has sparked widespread discussions on online safety and violence against women.

Now experts from the University of Sunderland are set to investigate the show through the lenses of Criminology, Psychology and Media Studies in a multi-discipline online event open to the public.

Dr Lauren Doyle, Dr Mark Ord and Dr Barbara Sadler will also investigate the complex intersections of youth identity, societal pressure and institutional responses.

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Dr Doyle, Lecturer in Social Studies at the University, said: “Adolescence demonstrates a range of fundamental issues that criminal justice practitioners are facing in their day-to-day as the online space becomes all the more popular and accessible.

“As we face a violence against women and girls epidemic in the UK, it is important to use popular culture outlets such as Netflix to place issues like online harms, technology-facilitated violence and more specifically incel culture at the forefront of the mind of the general public, who are less aware of what to look out for and how accessible these cultural spaces are to young people (young men in particular).”

Dr Ord, Lecturer in Psychology at the University, said: “Adolescence sparked worldwide debate and conversation with its tale of male violence and the social factors that cause it.

“Much of this conversation focused on the topic of involuntary celibacy and incels - a group of men who build their identity around a failure to acquire a sexual or romantic partner.

“Using scientific data, we will explore what the incel ideology is, who incels really are, and reveal the complex set of psychological factors that help explain the recent rise in involuntary celibacy."

Dr Sadler, Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for BA (Hons) Film and Media at the University, said: “Investigating media is always fascinating. What sometimes surprises people is that media content (films, TV shows, YouTube videos or whatever) is only a starting point and that media research requires an examination of broader contexts.

“This talk will give audiences a chance to consider the way Adolescence was produced, explore the ways audiences responded to it, and the way policymakers and mainstream media have utilised the show for their own purposes.”

Attendees will get the chance to ask our experts questions as they dig deeper into the series that got everyone talking.

This online event will take place on Tuesday 3 June. To find out more information and to book your place, click here.