Since it was released on Netflix a month ago, much has been said about Adolescence, the acclaimed British television drama which showed in unsparing detail the arrest and prosecution of a young teenage boy Jamie for the murder of a classmate, Katie.
The show, and the discussions it has sparked, has focused on the influence of the internet on young people, in particular misogynistic social media influencers and so-called “incel” culture, in which young men describe themselves as “involuntarily celibate” because of their failure in their relationships with women and their frustration by their lack of sexual experiences.
Child protection campaigners have called Adolescence a “wake up call” for parents and schools. Tánaiste Simon Harris has said that it should be shown in schools and that parents need to delay smartphone access to their children as long as possible.
However, for Janice McCabe, a probation officer who works with children in Oberstown in north Co Dublin, the State’s only juvenile prison, the series did not tell her anything she didn’t already know.
“It was well done and struck a chord ... but it wasn’t really shocking to me,” she says.
McCabe says the internet plays a “huge role” in the lives of the children she works with.
“I really do think it’s affecting kids. I think there are adults on the internet that are preying on that and who have nefarious reasons for whatever they’re doing. And it’s not just sexual grooming, it’s lots of other types,” she says.
Ronan Mc Loughlin, an assistant principal probation officer who oversees youth services, says the influence of the internet tends to be more pronounced in what he calls “high-risk” and “high-profile cases” rather than in traditional offending.
It is these “high-risk” cases which make up much of probation officers’ workload. More often than not, young offenders committing more minor offences are dealt with by the Garda Youth Diversion Programme, and do not pass through the courts and probation systems.
It is only the more serious cases, including sexual offending, serious assault and murder, where the Probation Service comes in.
Neither Mc Loughlin nor McCabe can speak about specific cases but in recent years there have been multiple high-profile prosecutions of children for serious crimes where the internet has played a role.
In 2023, Judge Catherine Staines called for restrictions to prevent children accessing pornography as she jailed a boy who sexually assaulted a woman as she walked home alone in Cork. The boy, who was 13 at the time of the attack, had been watching online pornography since he was 11, the judge noted.
Last year, a girl appeared before the Children Court accused of possession of online child sex abuse material when she was 15 years old. She was sent forward to stand trial before the Circuit Court due to the seriousness of the alleged offence.
On Thursday, a 17-year-old boy pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of an army chaplain in Galway last year. The court heard he was radicalised online into supporting Islamic State, the Middle Eastern terror group.
Perhaps the most infamous of these cases is the murder of 14-year-old Ana Kriégel by two 13-year-old boys in Lucan, Co Dublin in 2018.
Following the boys’ conviction, it emerged one of the boys had been searching for “child porn” and “animal porn” before the murder and possessed a huge collection of disturbing images, including some depicting sexual violence against women.
[ Adolescence in teenagers’ own words: ‘Parents have absolutely no idea’Opens in new window ]
Today, those dealing with young offenders must deal not only with the widespread availability of violent pornography but also the more recent rise of toxic social media influencers such as Andrew Tate whose misogynistic rants online draw a huge underage following.
The Covid-19 pandemic only served to exacerbate these problems, says McCabe.
“Post-Covid, children are more isolated and more vulnerable for whatever reason. The internet can be a friend to a young mind who doesn’t know who they’re talking to.”
As well as schools, the pandemic caused the closure of many youth outreach services and clubs, further isolating children.
Last year, the Probation Service dealt with about 20 children charged with sexual offending, a figure which does not include children dealt with through other diversion programmes
Today, the Probation Service is seeing the consequences of that. It is dealing with 16-year-old children who were 12 when the pandemic hit.
“That’s an important transition point with children moving from primary school to secondary. What we’re seeing now is kids who maybe didn’t make that transition well,” says Mc Loughlin.
Last year, the Probation Service dealt with about 20 children charged with sexual offending, a figure which does not include children dealt with through other diversion programmes.
Unrestricted access to pornography is a significant feature of this type of offending, says McCabe.
“Kids are learning about sex on violent pornography websites. They don’t want to see this stuff but it is being shown to them,” she says.
“And we know that pornography sites are doing nothing about this.”
Pornographic material that shows women in harmful or degrading situations creates a warped view of consensual relations at a time when children are only beginning to understand sexual issues, according to McCabe and Mc Loughlin.
However, they caution against oversimplifying the causes of sexual offending among children. The causes, says Mc Loughlin, can be “very, very complex” and online influences are just a part of the puzzle.
Dr Kevin Lambe, a forensic psychologist often asked by the courts to prepare reports on children convicted of sexual offending, says the internet is “most certainly a problem” in this area, but it is rarely the only problem.
He mentions dysfunctional or neglectful families, substance abuse in the home and “high or extreme levels” of emotion, as some of the other common exacerbating issues.
Nevertheless, the internet has changed the dynamic. There have always been children who engage in sexual offending, Lambe says. In the past, it may have started with one sibling abusing another who in turn goes on to abuse another child in school.
“In other cases, the ... child may observe his parents having sex and mimic the behaviour, or he may be exposed to group sex parties and see this as normal sexual expression,” says Lambe.
The same factors exist today but added to them are unrestricted access to smartphones.
“Little Johnny is referred to as always on the phone or tablet, playing games, when in fact other things are happening to him, and occasionally her.”
The influence of figures from the so-called “manosphere” on youth offending has also been noted by youth justice officials.
“I have seen it a bit in the young people I work with,” says McCabe.
“If they don’t have any other role models, particularly male role models, these [influencers] can make children feel they can be entitled, that they can get whatever they want.”
Neurodivergent children, who may suffer from autism or similar conditions, are particularly vulnerable to negative online influences. These children can be more susceptible to nefarious online figures and “more rigid in their responses”, says one youth justice worker.
The internet can also play a negative role in less obvious types of offending such as car theft. Young car thieves boast about their exploits online and develop a “status” on social media, something which draws in other children, says Mc Loughlin.
“It’s all very easily shared and promoted on social media,” he says.
Undoing the harm caused by the internet is a significant task, particularly when sexual offending is involved. By the time young people come to the attention of probation officers, “the horse has already bolted,” says McCabe.
The goal then is to challenge the views they have built up. This can take up to two years but it’s a worthwhile process, she says.
“From my experience of working with adults who sexually offend and children, I think you see a better result with young people,” she says.
“They are open to working with you and open to change.”
