The uncomfortable truths of Wild Cherry: What Christian parents need to know

This latest teen-focused drama exposes the dark side of fitting in and shows what teenage girls need their parents to do

Wild Cherry is the sort of series that lures you in with expensive knitwear, immaculate kitchens and teenagers with unlimited data plans, then drops you into a spiral of secrecy, power and exploitation. On the surface, it passes itself off as glossy entertainment. Yet underneath, it is a display of how race, class and coercion intersect in modern adolescence. I watched it so you don’t have to. You’re welcome.

many girls already feel they are constantly being watched, judged and assessed

Set in the meticulously curated world of Richford Lake, the show follows two teenage girls who secretly build a private photo-rating app. Their mothers, desperate to protect their reputation, become entangled in the very harm they were trying to avoid. As things unravel, Wild Cherry becomes less about the girls’ app and more about the quiet, corrosive forces that shape young people: power, pressure, class, race and the relentless need to perform.

For parents of teenage girls, this BBC show may feel uncomfortably close to home. You don’t need a gated community or a designer wardrobe to recognise the dynamics at play.

The ugliness behind the gloss

Wild Cherry is deliberately beautiful. Wealthy homes. Outdoor kitchens. Unattainably perfect school uniforms. It creates a world where success is measured by ……