Responding to the Controversy over Netflix Series "13 Reasons Why"

Some people say watch it, some say don't watch it or don't let your kids watch it. Here are the sides:

Argument 1) This show is too graphic and 'glorifies' suicide**
Argument 2) This show depicts challenges teens face in a way they can relate to and can open doors to conversations.

If you go with argument 1: You may have children who are too young for this content so that's a good choice, you may have a child dealing with these issues and you know their personality so you make a choice not to feed into that or you may be the kind of person who is going to try to shelter your child. But just be careful if you shelter them at some point they will get the info themselves so if you don't jump on that soon, they may get it from a less reliable source than you.

If you go with argument 2: Its recommended you watch this with your teen and not let them just have free range of the show without guidance or at least watch it separately yourself and then have a conversation after. Its not recommended to let a teen just binge watch this because its too intense and binge watching is not healthy anyway. Also take it a step further and have your teen write about how they relate or react to the show or just talk with them about it. Debrief after every episode and give time for emotional expression before starting the next one. This show is not meant as pure entertainment. Executive producer Selena Gomez herself had to bring in Puppy therapy for the cast and crew because even filming it was so intense. She also meant this show as a way to help people talk about these issues which she has faced herself.

This news story shows how one group made an online support for parents and teens watching the show and a seminar to teach them how to deal with these topics. This show is meant to lead to this kind of education so before watching it with your teen or letting them watch it, check this out.

Also here's a video showing argument 1 from Paris Jackson.

Argument 1 from Paris' perspective pertains mostly to people who are already struggling and may be triggered by the difficult content. If you know yourself or your teen is struggling get help if you are able before watching this show. Otherwise it could take you to a deeper place as explained by Jackson.

However, I argue that there could also be situations where this show may bring to light issues your teen has that they had not been open to you about before watching. It also could be a wake up call for someone struggling of the seriousness of needing help. The one thing I kept feeling as a viewer was "why aren't these kids telling anyone what's happening to them!?" Maybe watching this show will inspire some teens to speak up when they were scared to before.

But then again maybe it won't. It's different for every viewer and that's why I personally think we shouldn't jump to a conclusion on this show. It was created with the intention of helping, I'm sure also to make money, but to raise awareness as well.  To watch or not to watch shouldn't be so black in white. You have to decide for yourself and your own family. The controversy though is good because it makes people stop and take caution. In my opinion no one should watch this show alone if they can help it. Teens watch with parents and parents even watch with other parents. Then don't let it end there like most shows. Use it for positive change because some of the intense scenes are very dark and if something dark does not inspire the light then it will just stay dark. Use it for positive change and get conversations going about how to help the kids in your community. 

Or if you don't watch it, then find a way more appropriate for you to bring up these issues, but DON'T ignore them. You can still use the controversy of the shows existence to encourage you to be a force for positive change too.