13 Reasons Why got A LOT of people talking but it hasn’t all been positive. Mental health organisations and schools everywhere have recently raised concerns about the show potentially “glamourising suicide.”
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Now, New Zealand has taken the criticism to the next level by creating a brand new rating that prohibits people under the age of 18 from watching it without adult supervision!
Yup, according to TIME, New Zealand’s Office of Film & Literature Classification (which is responsible for these ratings), decided on the harsh restriction because of how 13 Reasons Why handles suicide and mental illness.
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“The show ignores the relationship between suicide and the mental illness that often accompanies it,” the office explained in a blog post. “People often commit suicide because they are unwell, not simply because people have been cruel to them.”
They went on to say that Hannah Baker is portrayed as being logical and her decision to take her own life is shown as almost unavoidable.
“Suicide should not be presented to anyone as being the result of clear headed thinking,” they wrote. “This is a nuanced show that asks a lot of questions, and raises a lot of issues, but often fails to either answer or fully address them.” Here, they’re referring to how there is little to no discussion about to how get help shown in the series.
The office did praise the show for tackling tough topics like suicide, sexual violence, bullying, and slut-shaming and said it has “significant merit” but they think it’s really important that teens have an adult present in order to properly discuss and navigate these issues.
If you or someone you know needs help, you can speak confidentially to a trained counsellor 24 hours a day at headspace.org.au or Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800.
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