The graphic suicide series, 13 Reasons Why, could be alarming to young children and teens, so here’s The Patriot Press list of 13 reasons why it might not be the best program to binge.

1.Hannah places blame on people for her suicide
The show is centralized around the aftermath of the suicide of Hannah Baker which includes 13 tapes pertaining to everyone who contributed to her death. These tapes are dedicated to individual people and contain reasons why they caused her death. 13 Reasons Why validates placing complete blame on others for your own shortcomings.

2.The show made it seem that suicide was the only option
In the show, Hannah Baker does not ask for any help from anyone. She does not tell anyone about the things she is experiencing, and she also does not confront her problems head on. The show portrays that suicide is her only option in this situation when it was not. Hannah had multiple opportunities to stand up and say what was going on in her life to her parents and to confront her friends about the issues she was having with them. In reality, people have access to multiple connections for help.

3.It is extremely graphic and has triggering content
In the show, there is graphic content including her final desperate act and the way she is treated by her “friends.”  Seeing such graphic content could trigger young children and teens to do the same. In addition, seeing such content could disturb viewers. There is nudity, violence, drug use, and explicit language. Not to mention, there are only warning messages in the beginning of three episodes which show the most nudity and explicit content.

4.Glamorizes suicide
13 Reasons Why is mainly about bullying and suicide. The show failed to portray that suicide is NOT the answer, but it tended to glamorize it. It was romanticized when Hannah made taunting tapes about why she committed suicide and drew a map to correspond with the tapes. In addition, her suicide scene is depicted inaccurately, making it seem almost appealing. “I believe it glamorizes suicide. It is not for people in a similar state that Hannah is on the show. The show did a good job of opening my eyes, but I think it romanticizes her death a lot. The ending scene with her suicide was made to look prettier than it actually is in reality,” says Reema Akash, a senior at WHHS.

5.Glamorizes bullying

13 Reasons Why glamorizes bullying to the full extent. High school should not just be about bullying experiences. High school is supposed to be an enjoyable place for students to learn, and this show focuses on all the bad things that go on in their school. All the show focuses on is 13 kids bullying one girl.

6. Encourages suicidal idealization
The show justifies that suicide is an option and okay for the student to do if they find themselves in the same position as Hannah Baker. Children and teens who have watched or are interested in watching the series could be triggered by the content. The graphic verbal content and visual content could trigger children and teens to speak the way the people do in the film and commit the actions that the characters are doing.

7. Exaggeration
Many of the incidents that Hannah classified as bullying wasn’t necessarily bullying. The show never identified Hannah as being mentally unstable but there were signs that she was. Hannah exaggerates the little things that happened to her, which are things that happen on a daily basis in high school. The whole show consists of exaggeration and drags thing on.

8. Puts blame on the school
In the show, the tapes that were made by the main character Hannah Baker go in order from least hurtful to her to the most hurtful thing that made her commit her horrific act. The 13th tape belonged to the guidance counselor which put all of the blame on the school. The show portrays bad school administrators. The school never showed interest in Hannah´s troubles, even when she dropped hints of harming herself. Hannah puts the blame on her guidance counselor for the “straw that broke the camel’s back¨ and resulted in her committing suicide.

9. Shows school counselors in a bad light
Towards the end of the series, Hannah Baker has a discussion with her guidance counselor, dropping hints about the suicide she will soon commit. She was dropping hints that any guidance counselor would take into consideration to contact the parents, inform Hannah’s teachers, and the principal. In the show, Hannah’s guidance counselor made it clear that if she did not tell him everything, he could not help her, which does not happen in most schools. Any little sign such as saying “I feel empty” or a drastic change in a child’s personality would realistically result in counselors dealing with those words seriously, taking action, or the close observation of the student.

10.Vulnerable teens can’t tell the difference between reality and drama
13 Reasons Why is categorized as a drama mystery on Netflix. After watching the show, viewers are left with the impression that there is a “life” after suicide.

11.Hannah’s mental health and mentality are never discussed or shown
Hannah’s mental health deteriorates rapidly through the progression of the show as she gets tormented more and more by her peers. However, her mental health is never discussed on the show. The series normalizes the relationship of bullying and suicidal intentions. It leads viewers to believe that a normal reaction to bullying is suicide. “Most of the time, people who have committed suicide had some sort of mental illness and at no point in time during that show did they cover anything about mental illness. The book portrays a completely different story,” says Siena Petrie, a senior at WHHS.

12.Sets unrealistic expectations for teenagers in high school( They are all older than teenagers)
The show portrays unrealistic expectations for teenagers in high school or those entering high school. The characters in the show are much older than Freshmen and Sophomores in real life. Having young children and teens watch the series can give them false information on the expectations of what high school is going to be like. The things that go on in Liberty High School (the school in the series) are not quite realistic as to what goes on in high schools.

13. Enforces low self-esteem
The show enforces low self esteem because every child or teen who watches a film always wants to be just like the actor or actress in the show. Hannah is not portraying a good example and not acting as a good role model for younger children and teens.