In My Skin

Violence is infrequent but characters sometimes threaten each other, like when an unbalanced store owner threatens to hit Bethan with a tennis racket because she's a "teen turd" who wants to steal from her. Bethan harbors anger against her dad and says she wants to stab him, but all she does is think about it.

Sexual content is often in the form of graphic talk, like when Travis tells a vulgar story about a girl who "f--ked" a "frozen sausage" and had it "snap off inside her." Bethan also tells a story about a classmate who discovers that her "dad had a wardrobe full of porno mags."

Language is frequent: "f--k," "c--t," "s--t," "d--k," "bitch." Teens and even teachers talk very rudely to each other, calling each other things like "loser," "ape," "ugly," and "dykey."

Students drink whenever they can sneak alcohol, including a scene in which friends pass around a bottle of beer and then share benzodiazepine tablets, after which one of them vomits (Bethan palms her share, reasoning that "drugs are for mugs" and she doesn't want to be like her substance-abusing father). Teens have hangovers after drinking too much at a gathering, and they make mistakes when drunk.

Parents need to know that In My Skin is a British-made drama about a Welsh teen who makes up stories to cover up her depressing life. Though Bethan is a flawed character, over the course of the drama she learns to accept herself and others more, and to make and maintain more authentic connections with others. The show presents significant messages of empathy, compassion, and courage, as well as perseverance and self-control, particularly when dealing with mental illness. Bethan and her classmates curse frequently ( "f--k," "c--t," "s--t," "d--k," "bitch") and insult each other rudely, calling each other names like "loser," "ugly," and "dykey." They also relate sexual stories, like a bit of gossip about a classmate who supposedly masturbated with a sausage. Teens drink and share psychoactive pills, but Bethan only pretends to take them. One character vomits on-screen after indulging; others have hangovers after drinking and regret the things they did while drinking. Violence mostly takes the form of not-really-serious threats, like when Bethan talks about how she'd like to stab her unreliable father, and a shop owner threatens to hit Bethan with a tennis racket for stealing. Mental illness is presented realistically, as is the plight of a young person who must care for an older relative.