“Have you watched 13 Reasons Why?”

I’m sure many people have heard this question at least once throughout these past few weeks. This captivating new show has become the streaming service’s most tweeted about show with over 3.5 million tweets about the series during its first week. The series focuses on the story behind a student’s decision to end her life.

Although the show focuses on heavy topics, many teens have found some way to relate to the story, whether it be bullying, depression, betrayal, or loneliness. The show has flaws such as people believing suicide is glamorized or mental illnesses are being trivialized, however it portrays the emotions that teens can feel very realistically.

Many parents can also gain knowledge about their kids from watching the show. Parents aren’t always able to communicate with their children effectively. The way parents are portrayed in the show is at times neglectful, invasive, with them not knowing what is going on in their child’s life. This happens off the screen too and parents could take something away from the show just as much as teens can.

While teens do spend a considerable amount of time on social media and TV shows, many of it can impact us in positive ways by helping us realize how much of an influence we can have on other’s lives.

Even though being nice to others should be something everyone already knows, the Netflix show has helped many students realize that we aren’t always aware of what’s going on in someone else’s life. A simple smile or hello can be the change in someone’s day or make them reach out for help.