Sami AlSharif

Samantha Kirby

ENGL 108

February 9, 2018

Other Reasons Why Thirteen Reasons Why Is Dangerous

Teen suicide is a contentious issue which continues to garner considerable public

attention. The issue of teen suicide is particularly serious for high school students, among whom

seventeen percent “seriously considered” suicide. Within the school context, research has also

shown that bullying is detrimental to students because it can increase the risk of suicidal ideation

(Bratsis 14). Thirteen Reasons Why is a TV show which attempts to elucidate the link between

bullying and suicide through depiction of the “suicidal process” of a seventeen-year-old student

named Hannah Baker (Notredame et al. 1). The author, Jay Asher, wrote Thirteen Reasons Why

to help students “open up about issues like suicide and bullying, no matter how uncomfortable

they might seem” (Biedenharn). Some laud the TV show for its overall message: the creation of

a “passionate debate” among students about bullying and suicide (Notredame et al. 1). Others,

however, criticize it for its seemingly shallow portrayal of suicide. I contend that Thirteen

Reasons Why conveys its message in a manner that is dangerous and therefore ineffective. It

reduces the complexities of suicide and increases the likelihood of imitative behavior among its

viewer demographic.
 Prior to any fruitful discussion of teen suicide in Thirteen Reasons Why, it is crucial to

shed light on the intended audience, demographic and psychographic. According to Pytash,

Thirteen Reasons Why is aimed at teenagers above the age of twelve years old (472). In an

interview with Brian Gillis, Jay Asher said that she was “unashamedly trying to write the best

story… specifically for a teen audience” (Gillis 544). Although Asher targeted viewers near the

younger end of the ‘teenage spectrum’, most of the demographic seems to be near the older end

(around sixteen to eighteen years old). The show already has an official rating of TV-MA, which

means that the show is “specifically designed to be viewed by adults” (“Understanding TV

Ratings”). The show is extremely graphic; it contains nudity, many instances of swearing (e.g.

f—k, s—t) and prolonged rape scenes. Parents, therefore, would be reluctant to allow their

teenage sons and daughters to watch Thirteen Reasons Why. This is reflected in parent reviews of

the TV show on Common Sense Media. Parents, on average, say that Thirteen Reasons Why is

appropriate for teens above the age of sixteen (“Parent Reviews”). With this ‘approximation’ of

the age range, it is safe to assume that the psychographic consists of high school students. Thus,

most viewers are probably watching the TV show for identification with the high school

experience.

Thirteen Reasons Why deserves credit because it bravely opens a discussion about the ill

effects of bullying and suicide. Marc Driscoll of the University of Toledo says that the TV show

“challenges young adults to think about the effects of bullying of students their age” (Driscoll 1).

Parents frequently express their support of the ‘discussion’; they label Thirteen Reasons Why “an

amazing conversation starter” (“Parent Reviews”). The TV show does not leave the discussion

unmoderated; it covertly attempts to deter viewers from engaging in bullying. Its portrayals of

bullying and suicide are noticeably abhorrent, brutal and cold. In Hannah’s rape scene, for
example, the rapist is portrayed abhorrently; his face contorts into a frightening predatory smile

as he forces himself onto Hannah. Thus, supporters of Thirteen Reasons Why argue that

“brutality… can do some good work” in discouraging bullying (Tassi). Some parents go as far as

saying that parents would be doing a “disservice” by “sheltering… children from these harsh

realities of life” (“Parent Reviews”). Thus, censorship of those scenes would only feed into the

indifference with which people generally deal with bullying and suicide. Censorship in Thirteen

Reasons Why would also be disturbing because it would contradict the ideal of free speech in an

open society.

Supporters of Thirteen Reasons Why also support the TV show for its relatability. The

notion of ‘relatability’ is rooted in transactional theory, a theory which says that a viewer

actively participates in “creating meaning… by drawing on personal experiences” (Pytash 471).

The TV show, in its “authentic, uncensored version of high school,” presents various scenarios

of bullying to the viewer (Tassi). The viewer ultimately reflects on the scenario and determines,

from personal experiences, whether he or she has done something similar. Thirteen Reasons Why

demonstrates ‘relational bullying’, for example, when Courtney catches a ride to a party with

Hannah, and then spreads rumors about her there. For this reason, there are many references to

viewers who have “apologized to people they offended” based on their personal experiences

(Gillis 545). This is exemplified in the TV show when Clay Jensen approaches Skye toward the

end because he realizes her suicidal behavior (self-inflicted cuts). The TV show, therefore,

allows the viewer to reflect on bullying and suicide, and to take the right course of action.

While Thirteen Reasons Why does seem to break the silence on the issue of teen suicide,

it does so in a dangerous way. The first objection to the aforementioned argument revolves

around transactional theory. The theory, I must note, is a theory that is most applicable to adults.
Adults have a developed prefrontal cortex which allows for mentalization, complex decision-

making and “control over impulses” (Spinks). Teens, on the other hand, rely more on the

amygdala, which registers emotions and is “associated with impulsivity” (Bratsis 14). Teens,

therefore, are far more impressionable than adults. They are less capable of the deeper

‘mentalization’ which transactional theory refers to. Rather, teen viewers are likely to resort to

identification; they could “easily put themselves into Hannah’s shoes: same age, similar

problems” (Notredame et al. 2). This could lead to harmful identification with thoughts such as

“I suffer, so I should die.” That being said, Thirteen Reasons Why may increase the risk of

imitative behavior among its teen audience. There is documented evidence that supports this

claim. It comes as no surprise, for example, that search queries on Google related to suicide rose

by nineteen percent for nineteen days following the release of the TV show (Ayers et al. 1528).

Moreover, there is a documented increase in the number of patients between eleven and eighteen

years old who were admitted for “mood disorder, depression, or suicide attempt/ideation”

following the release (Salo S90). It seems that Thirteen Reasons Why does not take into account

the psychological state of its audience.

Thirteen Reasons Why also reduces the complexities of suicide and fails to convey its

seriousness. The portrayal of Hannah’s suicide in the TV show seems to “romanticize” suicide

(Jacobson 8). In the final episode, Hannah slits her wrists in a bathtub, without any remarkable

sign of pain. The blood gushes out of the slits effortlessly, and she dies in that position. Swathi

Krishna, who writes for the American Psychiatric Association, suggests that Thirteen Reasons

Why makes suicide “seem almost peaceful” (Lawler). This “dramatized portrayal” of suicide

covertly sends the message that suicide is not brutal (Jacobson 8). Considering that instances of

bullying are portrayed brutally in the TV show, it is surprising that suicide is not portrayed in a
similar way. Thirteen Reasons Why also makes it seem acceptable that suicide be motivated by

revenge. Hannah sends out thirteen tapes to the students deems instrumental in her decision to

commit suicide. In that sense, Hannah is portrayed as a “martyr” who makes those students feel

‘sorry’ for wronging her (Tassi). In her suicide scene, one can sense her rage; she breathes

heavily, and her pupils dilate. Teen viewers, therefore, may take the wrong message about

suicide after watching the TV show.

All in all, Thirteen Reasons Why stands the test of time. Despite the TV show’s

controversial nature, it prevails as one of the most popular Netflix TV shows. To sum things up,

Thirteen Reasons Why breaks the silence about bullying and teen suicide among high school

students. It does not, however, consider its primary demographic which consists of teens between

the ages of sixteen and eighteen. Cultivation theory is applicable to this demographic because

teens are generally impressionable. Their views can be easily altered by media exposure. In this

sense, Thirteen Reasons Why conveys its message in a potentially dangerous and ineffective

way. It increases the risk of imitative behavior among teens and downplays the harsh reality of

suicide. Perhaps reading Asher’s novel Thirteen Reasons Why in a classroom setting would be

more effective. That way, students can have a safe space to engage in discussions about suicide

in a healthy manner.
 Works Cited

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