Netflix defends 13 Reasons Why amid huge controversy

The show has been subject to a great deal of criticism

13 reasons why controversy

by Polly Foreman |
Published on

13 Reasons Why is all the heat office / anyone with a Netflix account / basically everyone in the world is talking about right now, and we’re pretty much addicted.

But the show has been subject to a great deal of criticism from a few sectors of society, including mental health charities, for its depiction of suicide and sexual assault.

13 Reasons Why's Katherine Langford
©Facebook/YouTube

Dr Rona hu, a psychiatric consultant on the show, said the programme provides opportunity for more open discussion.

She told news.com.au.: "It’s good to talk with your teens about what they read, what they watch, the music they listen to and, of course, what’s happening in their lives and with their friends.

“As a psychiatrist, I made suggestions to reflect the many experiences of young people that I have seen in my clinical work.

"There was a real desire to raise awareness, let suffering teens know they’re not alone, and help start honest conversations."

And a Netflix spokesperson said in a recent statement: "From the onset of work on 13 Reasons Why, we have been mindful both of the show's intense themes and the intended audience. We support the unflinching vision of the show’s creators, who engaged the careful advice of medical professionals in the scriptwriting process".

This comes after mental health organisation Headspace condemned the use of shocking graphic imagery as “risky”.

ross butler 13 reasons why

"There is a responsibility for broadcasters to know what they are showing and the impact that certain content can have on an audience – and on a young audience in particular," Headspace boss Dr. Steven Leicester said.

And Kristen Douglas, national manager of Headspace school support, added that "harmful suicide exposure" leads to "increased risk and possible suicide contagion".

She continued to Huffington Post Australia: "It's not like car crashes or cancer. Irresponsible reporting of suicide can lead to further death.

"We need to talk more about youth suicide, but there's a way of doing that and a way we can raise those concerns and have a range of awareness.

"But we need to steer clear of really dangerous things like method, or oversimplifying it to one thing like bullying."

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