Elon Musk accused of spreading “dangerous” misinformation about Netflix’s Adolescence
Creative Commons/NetflixAdolescence has been dubbed the best TV show of 2025, but not according to Elon Musk, who has been accused of spreading “dangerous” and “reckless” misinformation about the Netflix series.
Since landing on the streaming service on March 13, Adolescence has raced to the top spot and sparked a pertinent discussion about the manosphere and the radicalization of young men on social media.
Co-writer and lead star Stephen Graham confirmed that while the one-shot Netflix show is fictitious, the idea sparked from multiple reports he’d read of teenage boys involved in knife crimes.
It’s important to acknowledge that Adolescence wasn’t created to place blame on any individual or entity, but rather to shed light on a growing issue and spark necessary conversations. However, some people didn’t get the memo. Warning: some may find this content distressing.
Elon Musk slammed for response to fake Adolescence news
Elon Musk responded to a tweet from right-wing journalist Ian Miles Cheong falsely claiming Adolescence is based on the UK’s 2024 Southport attack. The Tesla CEO simply said, “Wow,” seemingly reacting in shock without acknowledging the claim is untrue.
The Southport stabbings unfolded on July 29, 2024, when Axel Rudakubana, then 17, targeted young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop in the Merseyside town. Three girls died from the attack, while 10 women and children were injured.
At the time, misinformation rapidly circulated on social media, with right-wing accounts falsely claiming the perpetrator was a Muslim immigrant, leading to violent riots across England.
Cheong has since been spreading misinformation that Adolescence was inspired by this case, despite the fact that it’s totally unrelated and took place months after the Netflix show started filming.
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On X/Twitter, he wrote, “Netflix has a show called Adolescence that’s about a British knife killer who stabbed a girl to death on a bus and it’s based on real life cases such as the Southport murderer.
“So guess what. They race swapped the actual killer from a black man/migrant to a white boy and the story has it so he was radicalized online by the red pill movement. Just the absolute state of anti-white propaganda.”
Musk’s response has received more than 308k views and 12k likes at the time of writing, as well as hundreds of comments. Many have pointed out that the information is incorrect, with many criticizing Trump’s Senior Advisor for supporting it.
Netflix“All of that is not true,” wrote one. “Elon, why do you just ‘wow’ at everything and take it at face value that it’s true?”
Another said, “What a load of sh*te, it’s not based on the Southport killer, it was filmed before the Southport horrific murders.
“Unfortunately, children stabbing other children has become prevalent over the years with deaths all over the country, many of them stemming from bullying, online hate, fake news, sexism, degrading of women and also the degrading of those who choose to be different such as Brianna Ghey.
“Writing such sh*te, do you have no shame? Social media has fuelled so much of this and people like yourself peddling fake news and hate just fuels the fire and brainwashes our youth.
“People like yourself, Andrew Tate, you’re all the same, and as for someone like Elon Musk believing this crap just shows what the world has become…
“Stephen Graham is an incredible actor from the heart of Liverpool, he’s someone who I’m sure would love to educate you directly on this you fool.”
Elsewhere, BBC News journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh shared a screenshot of Cheong’s post, writing, “The amount of viral nonsense that is posted as news on this app, often amplified by Elon Musk, is mind-boggling.
“Adolescence is not based on the Southport attack or a single case. It was already in production and being filmed before Southport happened.”
Another replied, “Elon Musk’s reckless amplification of misinformation, like the false claim that Adolescence is based on the Southport attack, fuels division and distorts reality.
“The show was in production before the incident, tackling broader issues of knife crime and incel culture, not a single case. Musk’s pattern of spreading viral nonsense on X is dangerous.”
For more on Adolescence, read about the show’s filming locations, why Jamie killed Katie, the best show to watch next, and why Season 2 won’t happen.