The British Netflix hit series Adolescence is to be shown in Dutch secondary schools as part of an educational package to teach teenagers about the pitfalls of social media.

The series, about a 13-year-old boy who is accused of murdering a girl in his class, has been made available for free by Netflix. It will be accompanied by teaching materials about peer pressure and social media influencers put together by media institute Beeld en Geluid in conjunction with Netflix.

GroenLinks-PvdA MP Barbara Kathmann, who initiated the plan, is following in the footsteps of British prime minister Keir Starmer, who has also said the series should be shown in all schools.

It is “a torch that shines intensely brightly on a combination of issues that many people don’t know how to respond to”, Starmer said at a meeting to discuss the influence of toxic material online.

Kathmann said she hoped the series would raise awareness in teenagers and that the classroom would be a good place to start. “By showing the series in classrooms, we create a safe setting in which to discuss it and so make teenagers more resilient and prevent them from being sucked into the “manospere” and its pernicious consequences,” she said.

More young men have been falling under the influence of toxic content in blogs and websites, notably from the likes of Andrew Tate, which has a strong anti-women slant while promoting extreme masculinity.

Beeld en Geluid director Eppo van Nispen Sevenaer said Adolescence is “the perfect vehicle to engage young people in a discussion about the role of social media in their lives. It’s a world that is completely separate from that of teachers and parents and that is why it is important to have that conversation,” he told broadcaster NOS.

Erik Akerboom, head of the Dutch security service AIVD, earlier called the internet “a breeding ground” for future radicalised youngsters and called on parents to watch the series.

“It shows how they end up in a parallel world”, he told current affairs programme WNL op Zondag. The AIVD chief said 12 to 17-year-olds are particularly vulnerable. “Adolescence is not about terrorism but how you can be drawn into a world that is very dangerous,” he said.

According to American media,  Adolescence has been viewed by some 114 million people worldwide in just a month.