Public Engagement & Impact
The hit Netflix show 13 Reasons Why has drawn criticism recently for its portrayal of teen suicide. A group of U-M researchers has started to look at its effects on at-risk youth.
In this episode of the Michigan Minds podcast, two of those researchers talk about their findings from a survey of at-risk teenagers, and how parents and the community can play a role in helping kids view the show in context.
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Victor Hong, MD, and Cynthia Ewell Foster, PhD, explain that the show isn’t likely to trigger someone who is not depressed to start experiencing suicidal ideation. But half of suicidal teenagers being treated in an emergency department who were surveyed said that watching the show heightened their suicide risk.
And few at-risk youths are watching the show with a parent or talking to them about it.
“If we care as a society about reducing the rates of death by suicide, we can all play a role,” says Ewell Foster. “As parents, clinicians, educators, or community members we can educate ourselves and reach out to support the kids in our communities.”
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