Netflix’s 'Adolescence' spotlights the crisis of boyhood. Scouting is part of the solution

The new Netflix drama Adolescence is uncomfortable to watch. As the father of three girls, I found it deeply shocking and moving. The series follows the story of Jamie, a 13-year-old boy who has committed the most horrendous crime and is grappling with his identity, mental health and his place in the world.

It dives deep into the crisis facing many boys and young men globally and forces us to confront a reality: boys around the world are struggling and girls and women are all too often the victims. They’re being shaped by toxic notions of manhood, fed by online influencers, let down by tech companies that refuse to regulate or fully acknowledge the risks and failed by educational and societal systems meant to support them.

And yet, those of us working in youth development know that hope is not lost. We see it every day – in Scouting events, campfires, and community projects – where boys and girls are growing up together, learning to lead and redefining what it means to grow up in today’s world.

The Scout Movement, active in more than 220 countries and territories, is quietly doing what Adolescence so starkly reveals we need – giving young people a space to be heard, to form bonds and to grow. To be ready for life, regardless of the challenges or opportunities in front of them.

Mental health challenges among boys and young men are a global issue – suicide remains one of the leading causes of death among adolescent males worldwide.

In Japan, the pressure to conform and achieve leads to alarming rates of youth suicide. In the UK and Australia, young men are three to four times more likely than young women to take their own lives. In India, there has been a 30% rise in young adults being admitted to hospital for psychiatric distress. And in the United States, boys are increasingly isolated and drawn to harmful online spaces that promise confidence but instead foster misogyny and fear.

Adolescence captures this crisis – and the failures of education systems ill-equipped to deal with such issues. But it also exposes how rarely we provide boys and young men with safe spaces to develop and positive role models to learn from.

Scouting offers more than a scarf, a badge or a weekend hike. It’s a global movement rooted in values like empathy, youth leadership, resilience and service. For decades, it’s served as one of the most effective, wide-reaching transformative leadership development solutions helping young people navigate identity, understand the planet and emotions and relationships.

Scouting’s unique, tried and tested education method is growing. With 57 million young people worldwide and highest number of girls and young people taking part in our history. We are proud to be one of the largest youth-led contributors to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and work alongside other youth-focused and youth-led organizations around the world – from grassroots community-led action through to global advocacy – trying to make a difference.

When boys and girls develop, lead and learn to problem-solve together, it challenges harmful gender norms before they take hold. It fosters respect, teamwork and emotional intelligence. And, in particular, teaches boys that strength comes in different forms, and that leadership can be shared.

In a world still marred by division, polarization and rigid gender roles, these shared experiences are more than progressive – they can be transformative.

From Scout groups in Malawi and Bhutan tackling gender stereotypes through a programme in partnership with the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), to Colombia and India where we are working to address cultural barriers, and in Kenya where Scouts are leading community workshops on ending gender-based violence, to youth in Palestine and Lebanon using Scouting to rebuild trust and emotional stability impacted by conflict, Scouting is shaping a generation of emotionally literate, socially aware young people.

Our member organizations recently passed a key resolution at our World Scout Conference for gender equality and combating gender-based violence, affirming our commitment to tackling this at a grassroots level.

Our research and partnerships backs it up. Two comprehensive studies published in 2018 and 2019 across countries including Kenya, Singapore, UK, France, Mexico, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia found that Scouts aged 14–17 consistently scored higher than their non-Scout peers in key areas: active citizenship (Scouts scored 16.6% higher); empathy and supporting others (9% higher); and leadership skills (12% higher).

Furthermore, our partnership with UNICEF through the UAct initiative supported mental health resilience in war-affected communities and neighbouring countries following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. With UNFPA, we are working on developing age-appropriate, rights-based education to challenge toxic masculinity and help boys navigate their emotions, respect, and healthy relationships.

Adolescence reminds us that children and young people – of all genders – can fall through the cracks when society fails to provide safe, inclusive spaces for them to discover who they are. But it also points to what’s possible when we act.

Scouting – alongside many other youth-focused and youth-led development organizations – is one of the places where young people are encouraged to be brave in the broadest sense. Not just physically, but emotionally too. To understand difference. To connect with different genders, cultures, religions and age groups.

If we want a future where boys don’t have to choose between silence and violence, we must invest in educational programmes that give them purpose, a sense of community, challenge harmful norms and enable them to thrive alongside girls.

Scouting is, of course, not the only solution — but it’s one we have currently and it works. And one the world needs now more than ever to build young people ready for life.