When the show "Degrassi" aired on TV, that was before I was even in high school. I remember watching it and feeling embarrassed because some of the episodes were past my maturity level at the time. However, now as I binge watch it on Netflix, I realized how much this show could have potentially helped me as well as my peers as we struggled with self-identity, acceptance, peer pressure/drug use and the influences of social media.
I think that parents exposing their child to certain content and talking with them could help their teens gain knowledge, a better understanding of the consequences of certain actions, and teach them how to make informative decisions. When I was in high school, my health teacher at the time would always say, “Positive people, places and things will get you far,” and this is a phrase that has stuck with me well into college.
I was very young and was pretty naive when it came to sex, drugs and peer pressure. Gratefully, I did not have the desire to get involved with that as I focused on my grades and getting involved as much as possible through various sports and clubs.
However, teenagers are curious about experimenting during this time period. They have more freedom to do as they please and are introduced to such a large variety of students that come from all different backgrounds. In "Degrassi," there is an episode where one of the main characters starts feeling lost, using self-medicating as a resource to overcome his depression.
Self-medicating came with very serious side-effects because he was taking drugs that did not compliment his body and he had fatal withdrawal symptoms. After his friends got in touch with his parents, he was able to recover through therapy and with the support of his community.
This is a very common situation that presents itself during high school. Students sometimes may think that they are independently fixing a problem when in reality they are hurting themselves or someone else in the process. It is important to have a healthy and open relationship, so if your teen has questions, they are able to come to you for advice without the fear of being punished.
This show has a diverse group of characters of different backgrounds and sexual identities, allowing students to be able to relate to at least one of these characters. They go over different pronouns certain students feel more comfortable identifying as and show that there isn’t one type of “normal.”
Many of the social pressures faced in high school come from the ideas that we create in our head of what is “accepted/normal” and what is not. It is important to educate your teens on this so they aren’t getting bullied or being a bully because of some misconception they might have.
Despite all the different households these students come from and their unique interests, there is a safe place for them at Degrassi where they are able to support each other. In a perfect society, this would hold true for our high schools too, but with each step we are closer to achieving that goal.
The overall message of this show is a quote in it’s opening and closing theme song: “Whatever it takes, I know I can make it through.” This holds true for both high school and any obstacle faced in life. With the continuous support of our friends/family and our determination, we can get past anything that might be in our way.
