Thirteen Reasons Why: The controversy and its aftermath

Session Type: Conversation Roundtable

Abstract

The first season of the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why was among the most watched series in the world and also one of the most controversial for its depiction of a female high school student’s suicide and the events that preceded it. This roundtable including researchers, clinicians and producers of the show will discuss the concerns raised by the show, international research on the correlates of viewing the series, whether the research that was conducted to evaluate its effects was helpful to viewers and producers, whether dramatic portrayals on sensitive topics such as suicide and sexual abuse can be beneficial for young people, and whether research on controversial media entertainment can help to define policy for the industry going forward.

Yalda T. Uhls, PhD (organizer)
Drew Cingel, PhD
Joy Gorman Wettels
Vicki Harrison, MSW
Dan Romer, PhD

Sub Unit

• Technology, Media & Child Development

Moderator

• Yalda T. Uhls, University of California - Los Angeles

Panelists

• Dan Romer, University of Pennsylvania

• Joy Gorman Wettels, Anonymous Content

• Drew Cingel, University of California - Davis

• Vicki Harrison, Stanford University