The Netflix drama Adolescence, which has sparked debate over toxic and misogynistic online influence on young boys will be screened in UK secondary schools, the streaming giant and UK Prime Minister's office have announced.
Anne Mensah, Netflix's Vice President of UK Content, said the company was "incredibly proud" of the show's impact and was "delighted to offer it to all schools across the UK".
The four-part series, she added, had "helped articulate the pressures young people and parents face".
The decision was announced as Mr Starmer met the show's creators, charities and young people at Downing Street to discuss the issues raised in the series.
Mr Starmer, who watched Adolescence with his wife and teenage children, said it "hit home hard".
He said he wanted to talk about "what can we do as a society to stop and prevent young boys being dragged into this whirlpool of hatred and misogyny".
"It's pernicious and persistent. But what Adolescence shows is that it’s now taken on a different form, or different characteristics."
He said the online world and social media means "ideology" can be "pumped directly into the minds of our children".
Mr Starmer added: "I do think there is a sense of isolation going on here, and therefore we can't deal with these challenges just with the old tools that we have. I don’t think there’s a simple solution."
Writer Jack Thorne and producer Jo Johnson, and representatives from the NSPCC and Children's Society, joined the Prime Minister for a roundtable discussion.
Thorne said he hopes a solution can be found to the issues raised by the series.
"It's about other people … being given the opportunity to have conversations they haven’t had before and that they should have had that might lead to policy change and things being made better for our young people," he told Sky News after the meeting.
Maria Neophytou of the UK children's charity NSPCC described the Downing Street meeting as a "critical milestone," warning that "the online world is being polluted by harmful and misogynistic content" that is directly shaping young people's behaviour.
In the TV drama, This Is England star Stephen Graham plays Eddie Miller, the father of 13-year-old Jamie, played by newcomer Owen Cooper, who sees armed police burst into his home to arrest his son after he was influenced online to stab a young girl.
Minors aged 11 to 18 will be able to watch the series in UK schools.
Adolescence, which was released on 13 March, had 24.3 million views in its first four days, making it Netflix's most-watched show for the week of 10 - 16 March, according to Variety.
Source: AFP and Press Association
