Parents Guide to "13 Reasons Why"

The Netflix program "13 Reasons Why" is very popular among teen viewers. While that's concerning, it does have an upside. The series is allowing us as parents to delve into more delicate topics with our teens and pre-teens. One of those topics is self-injury. It's reported that 1 in 5 females and 1 in 7 males will engage in this harmful practice. Today's episode explores the dark world of self-injury – what it is and why kids are doing it. We also want to equip you to look for warning signs and provide ways you can help your kids learn to better manage their emotions.

When Netflix released their program, "13 Reasons Why", it became a mega-hit with teens almost immediately. The series is a frank, realistic portrayal of the dark and frightening issues our kids are dealing with, one of which is rape. Believe it or not, rape and sexual assault affect our kids. In fact, 25% of high school girls – that's 1 in 4 – have been abused physically or sexually. And that number might actually be higher, as many cases go unreported. And victims aren't just girls. Boys experience this, too. Today, we're giving you some tools to help your kids reduce the risk of becoming a sexual assault victim.

When Netflix released their program 13 Reasons Why, it became a mega-hit with teens almost immediately. It was a frank, realistic portrayal of the dark and frightening issues our kids are dealing with. In this first episode of A Parents Guide to 13 Reasons Why podcast series, three mental health professionals will provide and overview of the topics that are graphically depicted in the show. They'll also address the positive and negative effects this series has had on our nation's youth.