Raising Kids After Watching Adolescence on Netflix: What Every Parent Needs to Know

The PedsDocTalk Podcast

Dr. Mona Amin

Medicine, Health & Fitness, Kids & Family, Parenting

5 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 30 April 2025

⏱️ 95 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

After watching the Netflix series Adolescence, I was left gutted, moved, and full of questions—just like many of you who reached out. “I watched it. I was shocked. I was moved… but now what do I do with these big feelings I’m having and this information?” Whether you’re raising a boy or a girl, this show forces us to reckon with disconnection, violence, and parenting in the digital age. In this conversation, I sit down with Ruth Whippman and Dr. Zabina Bhasin to explore what the show reveals about masculinity, emotional disconnection, and how boys are often left emotionally starved in today’s culture. We talk about parenting, school systems, and online influences—and most importantly, how we can start doing better for our kids. We discuss: How the Netflix series Adolescence reflects the emotional isolation many boys experience—and why it’s a cultural crisis. How masculinity, parenting, school systems, and online influences shape how boys express (or suppress) their feelings. Practical, compassionate strategies to help parents, educators, and adults raise emotionally safe, connected boys in today’s world. To connect with Ruth Whippman follow her on Instagram @ruthwhippman, check out all her resources at http://www.ruthwhippman.com/, join her Substack: I Blame Society and purchase her book Boy Mom. Ruth Whippman has previously been on the PedsDocTalk Podcast: https://pedsdoctalk.com/podcast/masculinity-and-politics-exploring-the-connection-between-gender-ideals-and-voting-trends/ https://pedsdoctalk.com/podcast/raising-boys-and-redefining-toxic-masculinity-and-how-it-impacts-friendships-and-emotional-health/ To connect with Dr. Zee follower her on Instagram @drzee_md and @listen2thekidz_, and check out all her resources at https://www.dr-zee.com/ We’d like to know who is listening! Please fill out our Listener Survey to help us improve the show and learn about you! 00:00 Introducing Guests: Ruth Whippman and Dr. Z – Experts on masculinity, emotional safety, and parenting. 00:02:59 Themes from the Show 00:06:06 Cultural Crisis 00:07:28 Emotional Starvation 00:09:43 Nature vs. Nurture 00:11:51 Raising Emotionally Healthy Boys 00:15:17 Cultural Messaging 00:20:00 Behavioral Conditioning vs. Biology 00:24:11 Friendships, Brotherhood, and Vulnerability 00:30:44 Teaching Emotional Literacy 00:35:40 Hope for the Future 00:42:10 The Need to Be Seen 00:50:11 Action Steps for Parents 00:56:00 Closing Reflections Our podcasts are also now on YouTube. If you prefer a video podcast with closed captioning, check us out there and subscribe to PedsDocTalk. Get trusted pediatric advice, relatable parenting insights, and evidence-based tips delivered straight to your inbox—join thousands of parents who rely on the PDT newsletter to stay informed, supported, and confident. ⁠⁠Join the newsletter⁠⁠! And don’t forget to follow ⁠⁠@pedsdoctalkpodcast⁠⁠ on Instagram—our new space just for parents looking for real talk and real support. We love the sponsors that make this show possible! You can always find all the special deals and codes for all our current sponsors on the PedsDocTalk Podcast Sponsorships page of the website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I hope that people don't take away from this, like, boys are terrible, they're murderers, they're this, they're that, you know, and that we can, we're able to see them as children.
0:07.7	And I think there was something so heartrending about those moments when he obviously was starved of that validation.
0:13.2	He was starved of feeling good about himself.
0:16.3	He felt that, you know, and, you know, I think there's also a really difficult thing in there
0:21.6	about you know that there was some online bullying of him by a girl which is a really
0:27.1	really tricky thing to talk about because you know obviously we talk about these
0:30.9	gender dynamics and patriarchy in the way that men oppress women and you know
0:35.2	it's so it's a different thing And it's a more subtle and harder conversation
0:38.2	to address the idea that a teenage girl might be shaming
0:41.9	and bullying a teenage boy.
0:43.5	And I feel like my own feeling is like,
0:45.5	bullying is bullying.
0:46.3	We need to address it.
0:47.2	It shouldn't be acceptable in any direction.
0:49.4	And we need to call it out whoever's doing it.
0:51.9	Which of course does not even go the slightest millimeter of
0:56.0	distance to justifying murder. Welcome to the show. It's me, Dr. Mona, your trusted pediatrician,
1:02.1	confidant and mom friend here to support you through every twist and turn of parenting. You're listening
1:07.2	to the Peds Doc Talk podcast where I host honest conversations that empower your
1:11.2	parenting journey.
1:12.3	Whether this is your first episode or you've been here with me for a while, I promise you'll
1:16.7	find insights here that stay with you long after you listen.
	...

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