Red Alert: “Adolescence”
A wake-up call to act now to save our children.
Are they our neglected generation?
Have you watched the top show, “Adolescence”, on Netflix yet?
Are you brave and ready to stand up for protecting our children’s human rights in our digital driven world? To stop further exploitation of our children’s mental and physical health and well-being, including their privacy, exposure to harmful EMF radiation and addictive platforms like social media and video games.
Jamie is a the 13-year-old boy who has fallen under the spell of misogynistic influencers and suffered cyber-bullying for being an “incel”. His parents admit he would not engage with them but shut himself in his bedroom and be on his computer long into the night. Although they assumed he was safe, he was secretly being radicalised via influencers on social media.
His story highlights the corrosive impact of social media on impressionable minds and has resonated profoundly with audiences. Parents of teenagers have been watching rapt, heartbroken and horrified in equal measure – with the show clocking up an astonishing 24.3m views in its first four days of release, four times more than the number two show. It tops the Netflix ratings in 71 countries.
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/mar/22/netflix-from-the-police-to-the prime-minister-how-adolescence-is-making-britain-face-up-to-toxic-masculinity
Several countries in the world, such as the Netherlands, Australia, Denmark and the UK, have already taken active steps to combat further exploitation of children and teenagers because of the enormous negative impact the misuse of screens, the internet and social media dependency and addiction have on the natural and healthy-balanced development of
babies’ and children’s brains and bodies.
Dr Marlena Kruger, the director of the TechnoLife Wise Foundation, confirmed “Australia has already promulgated laws to restrict access to social media and smartphones for those under the age of 16 years, and it has also banned smartphones from schools.” Rasmus Meyer, the chairperson of Denmark’s Well-being Commission, urged all European countries to follow Denmark’s lead in stopping the “commercialised digitalisation of children’s lives”. Denmark will change legislation to ban smartphones and tablets from schools and after school clubs. The commission also recommended that no children under 13 should be allowed to have a smartphone or tablet – aligned with the age restriction of social media platforms.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/05/ban-mobile-phones-schools-europe children
Several other documentaries, like The Social Dilemma, have also highlighted the destructive effects of the misuse of screens and social media on humans’ emotional and psychosocial health and skills and on ruining the core fabric of our societies. These consequences are horrible for our and our children’s mental and physical health and well-being.
Kruger is excited about the TechnoLife Wise Foundation’s ongoing support and empowerment of parents, educators, and role models through its “Wait Until Grade 8 and No Phones at Schools” movement and “Happy Neuro Heroes” courses. The foundation’s website offers more information and registration options.
For the fifth year, the foundation will participate in the Global International Digital Wellness Day on Friday, 2 May. They offer a FREE webinar focusing on the core principles of preserving and enhancing mental health and well-being and how to thrive in our digital driven world.
Please register on the foundation’s website, www.technolifewise.org/events, to reserve your place and receive a recording of the webinar afterward.
Dr Marlena Kruger is a Digital Well-being and health coach.
She is available for interviews in Afrikaans and English. She can be contacted at hello@mindunique.co.za
