Parents alerted to ‘ dangerous’ teen suicide series
SCHOOLS around the country are warning parents of the dangerous content portrayed in the Netflix teen suicide series, 13 Reasons Why.
Principals have sent letters home to parents this week warning them about graphic content on the show, in particular a violent rape scene and the detailed suicide of the main character.
Tom Galea, principal at Rosebank College in Five Dock, NSW, wrote that the series “may lead to a distressing reaction by the viewer”.
Mr Galea, who watched the series to be better informed, said even he was forced to turn away during the suicide scene.
“This series has significantly crossed the line,” he said of its treatment of youth mental health.
“It’s a program which purports to get into the mind of a kid who has decided to end their life, but it’s so graphic and detailed, it’s dangerous.
“Every school will have a few children who are close to this line. You don’t know if it will be a tipping point to a student who is close to losing their sense of meaning or purpose.”
National youth and mental health foundation, headspace, has warned of possible “suicide contagion” following exposure to the graphic scenes in the series.
A NSW Department of Education spokesperson said they had distributed the headspace document, along with other information, to the school counselling service to assist schools in responding to concerns related to the Netflix series. Vice- president of the Australian Secondary Principals Association Andrew Pierpoint said he was concerned about the negative messaging in the series.
“Knowing full well that young people will be watching this, we need to be concerned and on alert,” he said. If you need help, contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. If it’s an emergency, dial 000.