Removing a Scene Can’t Undo the Damage that ‘13 Reasons Why’ Has Already Done

“13 Reasons Why” is an incredibly popular Netflix show. Released in 2017, it was celebrated by some for its honest and realistic depictions of mental illness and sexual assault. Indeed, the show is brave in its attempts to tackle these issues. However, in the wake of Netflix’s decision to remove a particularly graphic and brutal suicide scene featuring female lead Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford) two years after the show’s initial release on the streaming platform, it is vital to revisit the effects that the show has had on its target audience: preadolescent children and teenagers. “13 Reasons Why” is irresponsible in its depictions of mental illness, suicide, and sexual assault. The show is potentially dangerous for younger viewers. Netflix’s decision to remove the suicide scene from “13 Reasons Why” two years after the fact can’t undo the damage that has already been done.

Most of the Show’s Viewers are Young Women — a Demographic at High Risk of Attempting Suicide

“13 Reasons Why” is a hit across many demographics, but the show’s viewers are primarily comprised of young women. 1.7 million women watched “13 Reasons Why.” That makes 65% of the show’s viewership female. Additionally, 75% of the show’s viewers fell under the age of 34.

Suicide is the second-leading cause of death in adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19. This indicates that adolescent mortality is likely to come from self-injury or suicide attempts. In addition, female high school-aged students are twice as likely to attempt suicide than male students. This occurs at a rate of 9.3% for females versus 5.1% for males.

“13 Reasons Why” seems to appeal directly to an audience of young females. This is a demographic at high risk of attempting suicide.

ReportingOnSuicide.org says that the risk of additional suicide attempts increases when media or news features graphic images or explicit details about a suicide death. The show flouts these recommendations completely and features an explicit suicide scene, even though the risks of suicide contagion are well-documented. One mom even claims that the show was a nudge for her own daughter who struggled with mental illness to die by suicide.

There is a Correlation Between the Show’s Release and Completed Suicides in Boys

Though season 1 of the show features just one explicit and graphic suicide scene, another suicide attempt occurs off-camera. This happens with male character Alex Standall (Miles Heizer), a student deeply affected by his supposed “role” in Hannah’s suicide. Though he does not complete the suicide, it is an extremely emotional moment in the series.

A recent study shows that there is a correlation between the release of “13 Reasons Why” and suicide rates. This is particularly among boys in the 10- to 17-year-old age group. The rate of suicide among this group jumped 28.9% in the month after the release of the show’s first season. Other factors, such as seasonal affective disorder, were accounted for. Ultimately the study exhibits that there is a reason to believe that the show played a role in this spike.

Though it’s surprising that boys are the primarily affected demographic, one author of the study, Linda M. Horowitz, had this to say: “Females of all ages are three times more likely to attempt suicide, but males are four times more likely to complete it. Any increase among girls may have come in attempts.”

The Rape Scenes in the Show Have Most Likely Been Seen by Rape Survivors

1 in 6 women has experienced an attempted or completed sexual assault; 1 in 33 men have experienced the same. Rape and sexual assault are epidemics, and seeing depictions of rape in media can be potentially triggering for survivors. “13 Reasons Why” features graphic rape scenes in seasons 1 and 2. So, the likelihood of a real-life survivor of assault having seen them is statistically high.

The rape of male student Tyler Down (Devin Druid) during season 2 stirred controversy due to its graphic nature. Show creator Brian Yorkey said that the outrage came from the fact that the victim was male: “The very, very intense scene of Hannah’s suicide seemed to overshadow the fact that Hannah and one other girl [Jessica, played by Alisha Boe] were violently raped in season 1. If there’s a greater sense of backlash about this scene, especially it being hard to watch, ‘disgusting,’ or inappropriate, that goes to the point that we need to be talking about the fact that things like this happen. The fact that this would be somehow more disgusting than what happened to Hannah and Jessica, I’m shocked but not surprised.”

The rapes of female characters from season 1 sparked less backlash than Tyler’s rape in season 2. Yet, the graphic nature of all the assaults featured on the show is certainly dangerous to the well-being of survivors. Triggers are real and can stem from post-traumatic stress disorder, a common condition related to sexual assault.

“13 Reasons Why” is irresponsible in its depictions of mental illness, suicide and sexual assault. Netflix’s decision to remove Hannah’s suicide scene two years after the show’s initial release is too little, too late.