13 Reasons Why: Resources for Families
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The Netflix series 13 Reasons Why Season 2 is now available for viewing. It is expected to be as intense and virally popular with adolescents as season 1, which many watched without adult knowledge or presence. Like season 1, season 2 deals with mature themes, including a suicide, date rape, bullying and harassment, alcohol and drug use, and extreme violence. The intense, graphic portrayal of these difficult issues involving youth present both the risk of triggering harmful behaviors among some vulnerable youth and the opportunity for adults to engage in meaningful and supportive discussions with youth about these issues.
We encourage you to talk with your child about the show and, if they are going to watch it, to do so with them. While Netflix has added more safeguards to the series, these are not a substitute for adult involvement. A consortium of education and mental health organizations has created an online toolkit with guidance, talking points and other resources specific to the series and issues portrayed https://www.13reasonswhytoolkit.org/educators.
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