Please help DS 13 learn about being a British teen

[PartridgeInAPearShape]

DS is 13, we live abroad, he’s autistic, smart, funny and an only child.

We can watch BBC iplayer here so wondered if you can recommend shows, series in which young teens interact that he can watch and enjoy.

I’ve recently noticed him trying to learn as much as he can about how to be a teenager and fit in, pick up social cues, slang, interests, fashion, jokes, romance etc. He has been looking at stuff on YouTube but it’s not working out well - a lot of it is extreme/silly/dark humour, and when he imitates it he confuses his peers.

He has teen cousins in the UK but we only get back to see them once a year. We may come back to live in UK for his A levels stage. He attends a small high school with a US curriculum.

(when I was his age and similar, Grange Hill & Byker Grove helped me)

thanks

What country are you in? Presuming he speaks the language, if it’s not English. Are most of his fellow students at the international school of British origin? Are there ways that kids in the country where you live interact/is there local TV that would help him with local customs?

My teens have grown up in four different countries and mostly watch American YA things like Locke and Key, Percy Jackson, One of Us is Lying, Riverdale, Heartstopper etc and light comedy like New Girl, How I Met Your Mother and Brooklyn 99.

I honestly can’t think of a single British, specifically-YA thing they watch but they do like Mrs Brown’s Boys, Doctor Who/Torchwood, Sherlock, Sex Education, Derry Girls, none of which are specifically ‘teen’.

I also used to watch Grange Hill, Byker, Press Gang etc but they don’t seem to have the same things. Teens seem so much more grown up than we were…

inbetweeners seemed to capture DH's school experience!
Derry girls
outnumbered
waterloo road

Oh jees don't put your 13 year old in front of Sex Education whatever you do! The first series is great but definitely not for autistic 13 year old boys!

Waterloo Road maybe, not aimed at teens specifically but relatively representative of a UK school with some drama thrown in. CBBC might have something else but DD doesn't watch it.

The slang, fashion etc are very localised and ofcourse dependent on the individual. My autistic DD wouldn't be seen in anything 'fashionable' like Nike Pro cycling shorts or leggings, she dresses like a 1950s geography teacher and loves a tweed blazer and waistcoat - dark academia she tells me the aesthetic is. She also wouldn't use slang especially the 'roadman' language that is used locally, think Ali G "You Rite Bruv?", ""Init d'oh".

DD likes to watch Percy Jackson, Wednesday, Have I got News for you, QI

Thanks for all the suggestions! We are in a UK overseas territory in the Caribbean; the school he attends is English-speaking, the kids are a mix of Caribbean, Canadian, USA, UK expat and local parents, and there isn’t really a local high schooler culture, it’s influenced by local and international music, sport, Caribbean & US influencers, Tiktok etc. His class is small, and he mostly hangs out with three girls at break who he was at primary school with and they play UNO or wander about. They are all quite bored with each other. The boys play basketball and football and he doesn’t like playing either, so he’s not having much unstructured free time with new peers.

He is possibly going to move to a bigger UK curriculum high school next year, where there will be more students, more cliques, more social pressure.

In theory, Netflix US teen series would work as well. It’s more about him trying to get an idea of the social dynamics and cues teens use, how to react to teasing and joking, how to spot when people are annoyed with you etc.

Heartstopper. My teen ND girl loves it (also a fan of dark academia @Singleandproud although to me she quite often seems to be channeling Jarvis Cocker) , and it looks more like a UK school than I have ever seen on TV otherwise. I think it's on Netflix, was also on BBC.

Also Dan and Phil on Youtube: not teens but much beloved of my DD at that age and she still watches.

One of my kids learnt a lot about teasing and joking from the Minecraft YouTubers. Stampy, Dantdm, Ldshadowlady, Ballistic squid. Etc.. When they were popular at the time.

I think that sort of interaction will be more natural and realistic than a TV show.

For social interaction things my DD LOVES (and I can't stand) Big Brother, it's actually fantastic for learning about social cues and talking through why X was upset and what could Y do differently. At the moment Traitors is a hit and we have similar discussions.

Big Brother was on itv and Traitors (UK S1+2 , US and Australian) are on iPlayer.

For actual interactions in a High school rather than scripted you might be able to nd some of those fly on the Wall school documentaries on YouTube, I don't know what channel they were on originally.

The Inbetweeners is a pretty spot-on representation of life for teens in a British state school. You might want to vet episodes before letting a 13-year old watch them though.

Heartstopper is British and would be fine for a 13 year old.

save Sex Education!

can’t think of anything else my kids watch, they like Brooklyn 99, Young Sheldon, Gilmore Girls etc none of which is helpful!

Thanks again all. Really useful suggestions. We will try Traitors and Heartstoppers. I remember Inbetweeners and I think he’s a bit young for it but maybe next year. It’s especially helpful to hear about parents of ND kids recs.

He is reminding ND me if myself so much. Observing and trying to copy like a little social scientist

It's not a tv show but if you can get it shipped or get someone to bring out it might be useful

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Asperkids-Secret-Social-Rules-Anniversary/dp/1787758370/ref=ascdff_1787758370/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=570407791907&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12605988461981485953&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006779&hvtargid=pla-1650062586127&psc=1&mcid=347bdf9428773350a2bdcf651eb9e476&th=1&psc=1

Premier League

Ackley bridge is another school based one. There's various themes - can get a bit sexual in places.

My DS watches Jamie Johnson.

13 is to young for things like in-betweeners or skins (both aging but I think scarily accurate).

There is a BBC show about a care home that might be useful, seems fairly tame, young teen stuff. I can't remember the name though. There are lots of seasons.

Was it The Dumping Ground?

The Goldbergs - American but just what you need (except the fashion) and age appropriate.
Agree with PP Outnumbered.
When he's just a bit older Big Bang Theory.

Yes! The dumping ground. Thank you @CousinGreg55