"Last spring the Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why, captured the attention of youth globally and created countless discussions among teens and some between teens and their families about suicide, mental health, bullying and more. Concerns were raised by mental health advocacy groups and experts about whether the series presented risks to some viewers because of how the show addressed some of these important and complicated issues.
The organizations listed below represent thousands of mental health and suicide prevention experts, education experts and professionals from around the world with decades of experience working with youth, parents, schools and communities. With the upcoming release of 13 Reasons Why season 2 on Friday, May 18th, and following the recent school shootings and an increase in online violence, organizations from around the world have asked Netflix to cover the many difficult issues included in the series responsibly.
Research demonstrates that depictions of violence and self-harm can increase the likelihood of copycat behaviors. Adolescents are a vulnerable and highly impressionable group, frequently copying others’ behaviors or reacting in response to things they have seen. Based on how season 1 ended and from the pre-release trailers, cast interviews and pre-release statements from Netflix blog posts, we assume that topics in the series might include: suicide, school and personal violence, bullying, sexual assault and substance abuse.
Given the gravity of these issues, we believe it is important to convey our concerns and recommendations to parents, educators and professionals in advance of the season release in an effort to help reduce the risk of a tragedy. This should be taken as an alert, not as a warning."
Read the full statement from SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education) here.
