How to Talk to Your Daughter About ‘Adolescence’
Adolescence, one of the biggest media sensations of 2025, isn’t just great television. It has sparked crucial conversations about growing up and what it means to be a girl in 2025.
If you haven’t already watched the show, here’s a quick synopsis: the programme follows 13-year-old Jamie who is arrested on suspicion of the murder of his classmate Katie. Over four gripping episodes, the show delves into how Jamie’s behavior online gradually shaped his views on himself and his female classmates, turning him from an innocent boy to a teen on the cusp of manhood accused of a heinous crime.
If you’re the parent of an adolescent girl, chances are this true crime drama feels even more horrifically personal. The programme has done an excellent job of depicting how boys can slide from innocence into inceldom, and what this growing trend means for their female peers.
Adolescence from a Different Point of View
A recent article in Stylist magazine sought to tell the other side of the story. Their reporters spent 8 weeks touring around the UK, speaking to girls aged 10-16 about their experience of growing up in 2025.
According to the article’s introduction, “the stories shared with Stylist highlight a world where fear dictates behaviour from an early age, and where young girls are forced to adapt to a culture of harassment rather than expect meaningful change.”
As hard as these stories are to see and read, the experiences of girls and boys in adolescence right now are important to understand. Within the UK, one survey found that 47% of girls report feeling unsafe because of sexism – a figure that has doubled over the last decade.
If you haven’t already, I would encourage you to watch Adolescence and then read the full text of the Stylist cover article, available in their March issue.
Talking to Your Daughter About Difficult Issues
For better or worse, it isn’t just parents reading and watching these pieces – our girls are paying close attention to how the media tells their stories. If you haven’t already broached a conversation with your tween or teen girl about topics like sexism, bullying, and sexual harassment, it’s not too late.
Many parents feel awkward bringing up these serious topics, unsure of how to start the conversation and how to navigate it once they get there. However, the alternative is much worse – that your child relies on social media and the internet to teach her what she needs to know, instead of a trusted parent or carer.
Being a parent to a tween or teen girl means spending what may feel like years of your life trying to live with someone whose prefrontal cortex has not fully developed yet, leaving them prone to impulsive, risky, and emotional behaviours. Despite this, having these challenging and potentially awkward conversations is important.
Here are some tips for how to navigate them.
1. Be curious
One of the best ways to open a hard conversation is by leading with curiosity. Ask them if they’ve heard these topics being discussed, and what your daughter thinks about what she’s heard. Pepper in lots of open-ended questions, and don’t be afraid to let the silence linger to ensure your daughter has the space to put together her thoughts.
2. Listen without judgment
As much as you may want to correct or challenge your daughter’s views immediately, try to resist the urge. Adolescence is a time of exploration, and your daughter is likely forming her own opinions based on what she sees online, hears from friends, and experiences in her day-to-day life.
By listening openly rather than immediately jumping in with your opinion, you show her that she can trust you to be a sounding board rather than an authority figure.
3. Offer guidance rather than warnings
It’s very tempting to approach these conversations with a list of dangers and rules she must follow, like don’t follow strangers or share personal information online. While these are important safety lessons, they don’t fully equip your daughter to navigate the complexities of growing up in today’s world.
Instead of just warning her about these dangers, help her build confidence in her own judgment and decision-making skills. Ask her what she would do in certain situations and help her work through possible solutions together.
If you need pointers on how to help your daughter build self-confidence, click here to explore the Elevate curriculum.
4. Share your own experience
If appropriate, share your own experiences with sexism, bullying, or online harassment. This can help normalize these discussions and make your daughter feel less alone in what she might be experiencing.
5. Create a safe space for ongoing conversations
One conversation isn’t enough. Make it clear to your daughter that she can come to you anytime she has questions, concerns, or just needs to vent. Reinforce that no topic is off-limits and that she doesn’t have to have all the answers, because you certainly don’t. Let her know that growing up is complicated, and you’re in this together.
Adolescence may be just a TV show, but the conversations it has sparked are very real. Let’s ensure our daughters have the support they need to face their own stories with strength and resilience.
If you want to learn how the Elevate programming and resources can help, please reach out. I’d love to help you navigate these challenges together.
