'13 Reasons Why' News: After Backlash, Netflix Adds More Warnings
The streaming service company Netflix has decided to put more warnings at the start of "13 Reasons Why" episodes to address the series of backlash they are getting.
"13 Reasons Why" is a show based on a same title book by Jay Asher about a high school student's suicide and how she made arrangements, using cassette tape recordings, to ensure that her classmates who gravely bullied her will realize their wrongdoings.
The show touches on very sensitive subjects such as suicide, bullying, and sexual assault among teenagers, and the producers and writers' decision to graphically depict those matters did not sit well with many.
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While it was not hard for the show to gain popularity as soon as it was released on March 30, it also received negative reactions from psychologists, school administrators and netizens. They argue that the show actually glamorizes the act of suicide and might even trigger suicidal thoughts among teenagers who are not yet fully capable of processing such graphic scenes.
The creators of the show have repeatedly explained their decision to not water down the depiction of sexual assault scenes and Hannah Baker's (Katherine Langford) suicide. But while producers' and writers' of the series have previously attempted to explain the necessity for the "graphic depiction," Netflix recently decided to meet the negative feedback with more warning cards.
In a statement (via The Hollywood Reporter), the streaming service company said: "Currently the episodes that carry graphic content are identified as such and the series overall carries a TV-MA rating. Moving forward, we will add an additional viewer warning card before the first episode as an extra precaution for those about to start the series and have also strengthened the messaging and resource language in the existing cards for episodes that contain graphic subject matter."
Since the show streamed on Netflix, certain episodes that contain such portrayals carry a warning card to let viewers know they are about to see "graphic depictions of violence and suicide."
However, many deem it was not enough. Some school district officials even wrote letters to parents to specifically caution them about letting their children watch "13 Reasons Why" without guidance.
