Your daughter is right. There is nothing happy or healthy about the scenes and atmosphere depicted in the Netflix series. It's awful! And it's all too real for far too many young people.
My main concerns with it are that I'm very afraid that it can be "triggering" for young people already struggling. I'm concerned that too many teens (the target audience of the series) do not yet have the maturity to see the bigger issues. When Hannah Baker is hurt, they are likely to internalize, even magnify that hurt within themselves. Not good! I'm also concerned with the way the idea of committing suicide in order to get back at those who hurt you is depicted. The stereotypes. The hopelessness. The lack of sufficient mention of the many different kinds of help that is available, except to show that in Hannah's case how dysfunctional they all were.
Clueless parents. A culture of privilege among athletes and others that sexual abuse is partly the victim's fault. The collusion of adults who should be more concerned about their students than protecting the "system."
There is SO much here to dislike! And yet, and yet... Perhaps, just perhaps, this series will be seen by teens with wise parents or counselors, who will take the time to talk seriously about what happens in each episode. Where things went wrong, and how to avoid it in their own lives. IF that kind of conversation can take place using 13 Reasons Why as a catalyst, then perhaps some good will come from it.
If not, if 12-17 yr. old kids who see it on their own or with just their peers with no one to guide them through it, I am truly concerned about their response - not everyone, of course, but if a single struggling teen has to struggle even harder for having seen this series, or worse, stops struggling and commits suicide, it will be both tragic and predictable.
cotten
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