When Netflix’s 13 Reasons White came on line the year before last, teenager experts protested that the romantic and detailed expression of teenager suicide in the play, coupled with the heated attention, could trigger suicide among some marginalized teenagers. A number of official agencies and authoritative organizations participated in the study. Several reports reported a significant increase in suicide among teenagers in the United States during the period of the show’s hit. One specifically showed that the increase in suicide among teenagers aged 10 to 19 overlapped the time of the show’s hit, while boys of other ages and the same age did not.
Because suicide is contagious, especially for vulnerable and sensitive teenagers who are already inclined to commit suicide, many experts would recommend avoiding detailed descriptions of such news or portraying death as the liberation of the deceased. It can be imagined that 13 Reasons White can cause scholars much concern. However, these studies can not directly link the short-term surge in suicide with the popularity of the drama. They can only be deduced by theory and phenomena, which is convincing enough.
The original intention is to encourage teenagers to communicate with their parents through the plot and arouse social concern. Although the goal has been achieved partly, it seems that the side effects are more severe.
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