AFA is warning all parents that despite repeated calls to drop the series, Netflix is releasing Season 3 of the teen-targeted program 13 Reasons Why this Friday, August 23. All 13 new episodes will drop at midnight Pacific Time the date of the release.
Netflix has also confirmed a fourth and final season that is already in production.
Netflix finally responded last month to concerns about the negative impact of the controversial suicide-themed series more than two years after the 2017 debut of 13 Reasons Why. Netflix deleted a three-minute graphic teen suicide scene from Season 1, but only after releasing a second season about suicide, rape, sexual assault, and mental illness. And now, a third season with teen homicide as the focus of this dark and violent show is set to release Friday.
“Although AFA acknowledges the removal of the suicide scene from Season 1 and applauds that there is an end in sight for the series, we are not giving in or giving up, but instead pressing on—stronger now more than ever,” said AFA Executive Vice President Ed Vitagliano. “Together, we are putting the maximum pressure on Netflix to pull all seasons of this dangerous series from its streaming service. The entire series is a dark and depressing primer for impressionable young people, inviting them to enter a realm of perversion, hatred, and violence. Asking Netflix to drop this dangerous series is the right thing to do and critical for the well-being of America’s youth.”
To learn more about 13 Reasons Why:
- Read the AFA Journal story about Season 1 and the impact it had on the family of Anna Bright, a 14-year-old who committed suicide after binge-watching 13 Reasons Why.
- Watch the heartbreaking video about Anna.
- Read this blog from AFA’s The Stand for an overview of Season 2.
- Sign the petition to Netflix and share it as a way to warn other friends, family, and church members about the dangers of 13 Reasons Why.
“We always encourage parents to monitor what their children are watching, but we are urging parents to be especially vigilant this weekend,” Vitagliano said. “Due to the popularity of the series and the intrigue of the third season, many young people will be tempted to binge-watch all 13 new episodes as well the past two seasons.”
Beware: The tragic effects of 13 Reasons Why are very real.
