Ashley Walters has revealed his hard-hitting role in Netflix’s Adolescence helped him realise he’s ‘too liberal’ as a parent, after the drama shone a light on teenagers and their relationship with social media.
The four-part series received critical acclaim when it hit the streaming service in March, and centres on a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering a schoolgirl.
In the show, viewers saw how teen Jamie Miller’s perception of girls had been radicalised through content he was viewing online, and also showed the vast amount of social media consumed by teenagers at school.
Speaking on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, Ashley said that starring in Adolescence has changed the way he parents his eight children.
The Top Boy star shares Shayon and Panerai, 19, and daughter China with his former partner, Natalie Williams.
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Ashley Walters has revealed his role in Netflix’s Adolescence helped him realise he’s ‘too liberal’ as a parent, after the drama shone a light on teenagers’ relationship with social media
He also has two young daughters, Antonia and Ashleigh, with another unnamed woman, while he raises Amiaya-Love, River, and a stepson with his wife of 12 years, actress Danielle Isaie.
Reflecting on the reception Adolescence received, Ashley said: ‘You always set out right to do more than just make an entertaining show, especially when you’re talking about something quite specific, right? So you want to create conversation.
‘I guess none of us knew how much conversation it would create and it’s the gift that keeps on giving. It’s not slowing down anytime soon but that’s always good.
‘I think for me, the biggest thing I’ve taken from it is how it’s affected me and my family. It’s very rare that I will be in a show and then learn huge things about myself afterwards.’
‘Just as a parent, just as a parent. I realized I’ve been a bit too liberal as a parent. I’ve been a bit too easy going with my kids, with devices, screen time, stuff like that.
‘I don’t think I understood how dangerous those things can be sometimes so there are a lot of changes that happened in my house, a lot of conversations between me and my wife just about where we’re going with them and how much time they spend on screens and on their iPads.
‘The stuff that they’re doing on there as well that we maybe felt was like quite harmless, actually you look deeper into it and you’re like, wow, that could lead to this and that could lead to that.
‘Those changes have happened and that’s been the biggest thing for me really. I feel like that is part of why it’s become so big, because before that, I felt scared to have those conversations with my kids.
The four-part series received critical acclaim when it hit the streaming service in March, and centres on a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering a schoolgirl
In the show, viewers saw how teen Jamie Miller’s perception of girls had been radicalised through content he was viewing online (actor Owen Cooper is pictured in the show)
‘I felt not scared, but more like, I didn’t want to make them stand out. Their friends are doing it so it’s fine, right? I feel like what Adolescence did was say to parents, okay, you can all have the conversation now, like here’s evidence and proof of the extreme of where it can go if you’re not going in their room and checking on them.
‘I feel like parents all around the world have gone ”okay now we can discuss this openly without feeling like c****y parents”.
revealed last month that star Owen Cooper would be entered in the Best Supporting Actor category for his role as murder suspect Jamie Miller in the show that has become one of Netflix’s most-watched series ever.
Experts hailed the ‘genius move’ of placing Cooper in Supporting, as opposed to Best Actor, which they said would massively boost his chances of winning.
Adolescences’s four episodes, all filmed in one continuous take, explore the influence of online misogyny and incel culture – with Sir Keir Starmer calling for the series to be shown in schools.
The PM said: ‘At home we are watching Adolescence. I’ve got a 16-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, and it’s a very good drama to watch.
Speaking on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, Ashley said that starring in Adolescence has changed the way he parents his eight children (pictured with his younger kids)
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‘This violence carried out by young men, influenced by what they see online, is a real problem. It’s abhorrent, and we have to tackle it.’
Graham and fellow co-writer Jack Thorne said they wanted the critically acclaimed series to ’cause discussion and make change’.
Speaking to Sky News, the Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said that the government was ‘acutely aware’ of the issues raised in Adolescence.
The hit show has prompted a discussion about the impact of social media on children.
Writing for the Mail on Sunday, Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips said: ‘Adolescence is not just a TV drama – it is a disturbing glimpse into the minds of thousands of young British boys warped by the extreme violence and sexual abuse they are witnessing every day online.’
Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place Podcast is available wherever you get your podcasts.