It
is one of the most watched series online especially by teenagers and school children.
The series deal with some really serious issues faced by teenagers across the
world- bullying, rape, cyber bullying and suicide. The show was made with the intention
to create awareness about these issues. But after watching the show personally I
found it to be really disturbing. As a mom and an educator, to me it appeared to romanticize
self-harm by depicting graphic and violent scenes of a suicidal teen
with seemingly no avenues for help.
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The show paints the option of suicide in romantic colours and it starts appearing like
a good option if your life isn’t going well. The show constantly tries to
justify Hannah’s decision.
·
According to the show taking revenge is a good thing. To teach certain people a
lesson Hannah kills hers self. The vulnerable audience, the teenagers watching
it might actually start believing that suicide is a good way to take revenge if
people around you are not nice with you. After you are gone, they have to live
with that guilt throughout their life.
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Some of the scenes are extremely graphic and raw. Like the way Hannah
kills herself can appear like a perfect
manual of how to kill yourself. The vividly
graphic depiction of rape is also quite disturbing for the viewers to
watch.
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While it may be obvious to some of us
that Hannah is dealing with depression but the show makes no mention of depression or
mental illness. At one point, Hannah does go to a school counselor but it
was of no help. This
kind of negative projection of counselors would further deter the teenagers
watching the show from seeking help.
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The aspect that really disturbs me is
that there is no positive modeling in
the show. While it is important to bring awareness to issues like suicide, self-destructive
behaviors but it is more productive to show what we should do in a difficult circumstance. Teenagers watching
the show are going to presume that life
challenges are impossible to handle and when they appear to be overwhelming
than suicide is the solution. It would
have been great that if they would have showed Hannah fighting and getting
justice.
What should the parents do?
Unfortunately
all the controversy and debate (including this post) are making this show even
more popular. Some schools are sending letters and warning emails to the
parents asking them to censor it from their children. But does banning children
from watching the show going to solve the problem? We know how the brain of adolescents works.
Telling them not to do something guarantees they will. Personally I know a lot of my cousins who
have been glued to it. Some of them think that it mirrors an average teenager’s
life and identify with the characters shown in the series.
According
to the counselors the best solution is that parents need to watch the show
themselves, with their teenage children. Instead of calling it a bad show, make
children understand how challenges can be dealt if thing are not going right
for them. At least the show has put the spotlight on issues that teenagers are
facing- bullying and violence. Some of the parents are not even aware that
these things actually happen. We think that teen suicide happens in other
countries but not in our own. According
to Global Burden of Disease Study, 2013
suicide is the biggest cause of death among 15-24 year old in India, followed
by road accidents. Yes, teen suicides happen in India also. Whatever said and
done, but the show has opened space for a dialogue around mental health issues
and suicide. Parents watching the show
along with the children can try to make them understand that people suffering
from mental illnesses need professional help. And no matter what happens,
parents are always there for their children.
