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Adolescence viewers have a major theory on secret meaning behind the childhood pictures in opening credits

Home> Entertainment> Netflix

Published 13:50 21 Mar 2025 GMT

Adolescence viewers have a major theory on secret meaning behind the childhood pictures in opening credits

People think they have worked out the significance of the snaps at the beginning of each episode

Olivia Burke

Olivia Burke

Adolescence viewers reckon they have worked out the meaning behind the montage of childhood snaps that appear in the opening credits.

There is plenty to talk about when it comes to the hit Netflix series starring Stephen Graham, but it's the intro to it which is currently up for discussion on social media.

The millions of people who have been tuning into the four-part show across the globe have already deciphered a host of hidden details, as well as the subtle foreshadowing that was slipped in.

Eagle-eyed viewers have even been going over the end credits with a fine tooth comb, leaving a few people baffled as to why a Hollywood star was listed as a producer.

So naturally, people have also been trying to work out the significance of all the childhood images which feature in the title sequence alongside a haunting soundtrack, too.

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In Adolescence, Owen Cooper portrays 13-year-old Jamie Miller who is arrested at his parents home on suspicion of the murder of one of his female classmates, which obviously comes as quite a blow to Graham, who plays his dad Eddie Miller, as well as his mother Manda Miller, portrayed by Christine Tremarco.

During their investigation, police uncover how he's been sucked into the online 'manosphere' and the dark corner of the internet where 'incels' dwell.

Adolescence has taken social media by storm since it's release (Netflix)
Adolescence has taken social media by storm since it's release (Netflix)

Liverpudlian legend Graham revealed that Adolescence was somewhat inspired by similar events which have unfolded in real life, while saying that violent crime has become an ‘epidemic amongst young lads up and down the country’.

Children and their loss of innocence are at the heart of this series, so the inclusion of a load of childhood images in the opening credits is very fitting.

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But what subtle nuances did the show's creators hope this would communicate?

Well, Reddit users think they have worked it out - and they have taken a good guess at who they think the pictures are of as well.

People have been sharing their theories about the meaning behind the childhood snaps in the opening credits (Netflix)
People have been sharing their theories about the meaning behind the childhood snaps in the opening credits (Netflix)

Sharing their theories about the meaning behind the snaps, one person said: "They are childhood photos of the child actors that are featured in each episode.

"I believe those photos are out in there to show that we are all innocent when we are young, but then when we become teens, the world corrupts us."

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Another user thinking along similar lines added: "I think it’s supposed to highlight the innocence of children and how vulnerable they are to corruption and manipulation.. idk that’s my take."

A third added: "I think it was the actors in the episode…I decently saw the 'murder victims' childhood photo. Last episode was clearly staged photos as a family."

Netflix viewers have speculated that pics could be of the child actors (Netflix)
Netflix viewers have speculated that pics could be of the child actors (Netflix)

A fourth said: "If it was the actors in the episode then I believe it would be easy to find that online. But I searched for many hours and that's all I could find that made sense and matched the photos."

Meanwhile, someone else speculated that the photos 'set the tone for who they would focus on in each episode', adding that the first episode only showed 'photos of Jamie' while the second had a 'mixture of Jamie and Katie'.

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Netflix or the cast members haven't confirmed this, but it does seem to make sense to the majority of social media users.

LADbible have contacted Netflix for comment.

Featured Image Credit: Netflix

Topics: Adolescence, Netflix, Social Media

Olivia Burke
Olivia Burke

Olivia is a journalist at LADbible Group with more than five years of experience and has worked for a number of top publishers, including News UK. She also enjoys writing food reviews (as well as the eating part). She is a stereotypical reality TV addict, but still finds time for a serious documentary.

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@livburke_

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