A letter sent to all School District 43 schools this week is raising awareness about a controversial Netflix show about teen suicide.
The program 13 Reasons Why has generated concerns about its graphic portrayal of sexual assault and teen suicide, and SD43 is recommending parents learn about the program and ways to have conversations about it with their children.
"It is important for parents to know what children are watching and, if necessary, engage them in reflective, yet often difficult, conversations to make sense of what they are seeing on TV or social media," the letter from superintendent Patricia Gartland states.. "Whether your child is watching this series or not, they are likely hearing about it on social media or discussing it amongst peers."
The program, based on a 2007 young adult novel, tells the story of a young girl who commits suicide and the messages she leaves for 13 people she feels are responsible for her pain.
Carol Todd, the mother of Amanda Todd, who committed suicide in 2012 after due to cyberbullying and mental health issues, said the show is difficult to watch and more graphic than it needs to be to raise important issues about teenage suicide.
GRAPHIC CONTENT
Todd, who is a learning services teacher for SD43, applauded her employer for notifying parents of the TV program and encouraged parents to have a conversation with their children about it. They should even offer to watch it with them because the graphic content and the issues are so emotionally charged.
"That's why it's been recommended if a young person is watching it to share the knowledge with an adult close to them so the adult will try and have that conversation and help with problem-solving strategies," she told The Tri-City News.
Todd first learned of the novel last year when it was mentioned by a father she met whose own daughter committed suicide. When she read the book, she found it brought up a lot of issues that Amanda experienced, although it was written before smart phones and social media were common amongst teens.
The TV show, Todd said, is more difficult to experience than the book because the characters are three-dimensional and the last few episodes are so graphic. At the recommendations of friends, she chose not to watch the last three shows in the series.
"It brings up a lot of the vulnerability of us as parents," Todd said.
As for whether 13 Reasons Why is a positive or negative influence, Todd said it's good because it has brought up conversations about suicide, mental health and other issues involving youth.
"The downfall is they portrayed it so graphically," she said. "I was reading how the producers want to it be horrific to put impact into how a young person's being treated and what the the outcomes can be. [But] the graphic images of a suicide from beginning to end, I'm not sure we need to put those images into people's heads."
