Netflix’s psychological crime thriller ‘Adolescence’ took the internet by storm upon its release in March 2025. Set in the beautiful landscapes of Pontefract in the West Yorkshire city of Wakefield, the miniseries mainly explores the horrific downside of knife crimes across Europe and the UK.
‘Adolescence,’ which has been co-created and written by Stephen Graham and Jack Thorne, not only grabbed the number one spot on the streaming giant worldwide but also caught widespread media attention for its realistic filming and brilliant themes of cinematography revolving around a 13-year-old white boy named Jamie Miller, who gets abruptly arrested one fine morning after the murder of his classmate Katie.
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However, as they say, with fame comes attention, opinions, and absurd claims. Yes, you heard that right; as per sources, Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to his social media site X (formerly Twitter). It claimed that the show highlighted white propaganda in the miniseries. It accused co-creator Jack Thorne of race-swapping the actual killer from a black man/migrant to a white boy, and the story has it so he was radicalized online by the red pill movement.”
Wow
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 20, 2025
This view by Musk comes since larger reports of knife crimes are done by the coloured community, who deal with several economic and social difficulties of life. “Wow,” wrote Musk without any proper context. Moreover, if Elon Musk were to mention white propaganda, it could relate to how certain messages or narratives are clearly presented to influence beliefs in the show.
As per RTE, white propaganda, in simple terms, could mean a straight and clear attempt to put out a message without any disguise to cover its purpose, much like Jamie’s claims of innocence while keeping the viewers in suspense.
However, co-creator Jack Thorne appeared on the News Agents podcast and dismissed Musk’s claim. He said, “We are making a point about masculinity. We’re trying to get inside a problem. We’re not saying this is one thing or another. We’re saying this is about boys.” Meanwhile, the series seems to have done incredibly well owing to their little promotion and a string of newcomers.
While the central character, Jamie Miller, has been essayed brilliantly by young actor Owen Cooper, Stephen Graham has also nailed his role as his dad, Eddie Miller, who seems to be stuck in the loop of accepting the situation and eventually becoming cynical at the end when he finds out the truth.
As per Deadline, in the podcast, Throne further explained that the main question they wanted to explore in Adolescence was why violence from young men toward young women is increasing. They aimed to address this issue thoughtfully without offering uncomplicated answers.
Though Elon Musk’s claims seem to be a political reaction to the show, people must not forget that the theme of the show (based on knife crimes) is not based on merely one particular story but on many cases that have been prevalent across the United Kingdom and Europe for years.
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In addition, it also highlights the harsh reality of many youngsters who face mental health issues that go unnoticed as a result of them deeply immersing themselves in the virtual world, fighting an illusion of comparison, low self-esteem, and other self-sabotaging methods that may lead to fatal consequences. Likewise, Jack Thorne believes that the issue of knife crimes has been talked about but not fully explored, using Jamie’s story to help viewers understand it better.
“This is an issue that everyone has been aware of, but discovering it through Jamie is something we’ve been set on capturing. That people are excited to watch and understand Jamie and try to understand the issue through Jamie is rewarding,” the master filmmaker added.
