Parents, teens bond over TV
MELISSA HANK
POSTMEDIA NETWORK
As a very wise man once rapped, parents just don’t understand. But, says Netflix, watching the same shows as their teens might help them do so a little bit better.
The online streaming service released on Tuesday the results of a survey probing the relationship between teenagers, parents and youth-oriented programming.
The findings? Eighty-two per cent of Canadian parents say they watch shows like
and to feel closer to their teenagers. And 74 per cent of teens worldwide say they’d be into the idea of talking to their parents about the shows they watch.
What’s more, 89 per cent of parents and 70 per cent of teens see it as a strong way to bond. And 71 per cent of teens admit that having their parents watch their favourite shows could help them better understand what’s going on in their lives.
The survey was done just before the success of — and controversy over — Netflix’s latest teen offering,
The series, which launched March 31, tells the story of a girl who reveals why she committed suicide through a series of cassette tapes sent to her peers. There’s also rape, bullying, underage drinking, pot and plenty of F-bombs.
Just a month in, is already 2017’s most tweetedabout show — it’s responsible for more than 11 million missives of 140 characters or less. The series is based on Jay Asher’s 2007 book, stars Katherine Langford and Dylan Minnette, and is executive produced by Selena Gomez.
“I was struck by how relevant and even necessary a show like this was: Offering hope to young people, letting them know that they are not alone — that somebody out there gets them,” show writer Nic Sheff wrote in an open letter to
last week. “In the story of a high school girl who takes her own life, I saw the opportunity to explore issues of cyberbullying, sexual assault, depression, and what it means to live in a country where women are devalued to the extent that a man who brags about sexually assaulting them can still be elected president.”
According to the Netflix survey, teens say similarly intense shows like
and can bridge the conversation gap and help parents relate to them. Universal comedy favourite also proved bonding-worthy.
led by host Samantha Bee, is set to air this Saturday on Comedy. Pegged as an alternative to the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner (airing on CNN), it will salute the reporters who cover top-level U.S. politics. All proceeds for the event will go to the Committee to Protect Journalists.