Adolescence has more to say about the Black experience than you might think
15 May 2025, 09:56
The hit drama shines a light on the adultification and stereotyping of Black children.
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I was blown away by the four-part Netflix drama Adolescence. The show gives a detailed look at peer-on-peer violence, social media, incel culture, violence against women and girls, manhood and identity. The writers and actors – particularly Owen Cooper, in his first acting role playing the young boy Jamie Miller – deserve all the inevitable awards they will receive.
Whether it was the spectacular one shot take of each episode or the deeply poignant performances, Adolescence gives us a brutal and emotional insight into the roller-coaster of the criminal justice system and the effects on families and communities in the aftermath of a teenage murder.
Despite its diverse cast, race is not a central theme of the programme and yet I find it interesting that the show does depict the Black experience in many ways. One of the first things you notice is the level of empathy and compassion afforded to Jamie – a white child – introduced to us as the suspect in a serious criminal case.
From the moment Jamie is arrested he is treated with care and respect from the police. He is not assaulted or demeaned. He is a murder suspect, but he is treated with dignity, as a child. Contrast this with the experience of many Black children in the criminal justice system. A 2022 report showed that whilst most young people had trust in the police (73%) only 36% of Black children and teenagers felt the same. Black teenagers are also less likely to call the police if they are in danger.
Dignity is not something that is always afforded to Black children as documented with the case of Child Q where a 15 year old girl was strip-searched at school by two female Met police officers, looking for cannabis, while teachers remained outside.
Nearly half of strip-searches carried out on children in London are on Black children, who make up just 16.9 per cent of London’s child population. As a thought experiment, imagine Jamie as a Black boy and consider whether him and his family would have been handled in the same way.
Something I find problematic in the show is the portrayal of Jade, the victim’s best friend. Played by Fatima Bojang, Jade is depicted stereotypically as an aggressive Black girl, attacking Jamie’s friend Ryan on the concourse in the school.
In the aftermath, Jade is presented as uncooperative and there is a heartbreaking scene at the end of episode 3 where Jade leaves school alone. She looks lost, helpless and abandoned with no support. We get this glimpse of her vulnerability, but it remains underdeveloped. In these short scenes, there is so much that we can explore about how Black girls are seen.
Jahnine Davis who is part of the Child Safeguarding Review Panel for England and a leading expert in Adultification Bias describes adultification as viewing some children as being deviant, seeing Black children through a lens of being hyper sexualised or as more aggressive than white children. This bias results in less support given to Black children. The depiction of Jade having her vulnerability erased, not treated as a child who should be protected, safeguarded and cared for is an all too familiar experience for Black children in the UK.
I don’t agree with those who say that Adolescence should be shown in schools to discourage violence and misogyny but I do think that the themes it raises are important ones for us to talk with young people about. These conversations need to be held in a context of psychological safety and cultural sensitivity acknowledging the nuances of the white and Black childhood experience.
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Ben Lindsay OBE is CEO of Power The Fight – a charity that empowers communities to end violence affecting young people. His second book We Need to Talk... About Race: Christian Faith and Racial Justice - a young person's guide is released on June 20th 2025.
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