The ethics of creating controversial media content: exploring the moral responsibilities of producers

You might have followed the controversy around 13 Reasons Why – a Netflix TV series about the 17-year old Hannah Baker and her decision to end her life. Or HBO’s Euphoria – the story of a group of high school students whose life is infused with drugs, sex and violence? While the first underlines persistent concerns that fictional content may induce imitative self-harm behaviours among teenagers and young adults, the second has been criticised for its pointlessly gratuitous graphic content, which might endanger vulnerable viewers. In this blog post, Marco Scalvini discusses the controversies surrounding the detailed depiction of teenage suffering and the failure of parents and educators to help. Drawing on his recent article, he explores the moral responsibilities that producers have when creating controversial content developed for a young audience.