Adolescence,’ about a 13-year-old boy accused of murder, subverted crime shows and ignited a debate about social media and boys.

Television reflects societal changes, with Teen TV evolving from light-hearted shows in the 80s to more complex narratives in the 90s and 2000s.

Near the start of Netflix’s Adolescence, a terrified child sits up in bed after his arrest at gunpoint by a police team. He has wet himself in fear. He is also a murderer. As we learn by the end of the first episode,