The premise of Netflix's highly popular teen drama "13 Reasons Why" is based on Hannah Baker's (Katherine Langford) shocking suicide and why she decided to take her own life.
After the show aired, many parents and others were concerned about the show's impact on young people and that it glorified suicide. Some parents feared that their kids would try to copy Hannah's heartbreaking decision if they encountered tough situations and issues in school.
In the case of 14-year-old Anna Bright, her parents fear this is exactly what happened with their daughter.
Anna killed herself April 18, 2017 in a similar way to the main character in 13 Reasons. Her parents, Joseph and Patrice, thought someone had murdered their precious little girl but were told by the police that it was self-inflicted.
According to the American Family Association (AFA), Anna had binge-watched the entire first season of "13 Reasons Why" just two weeks before committing suicide, and the police discovered text messages the young girl shared with her friends about the show.
AFA President Tim Wildmon sent a private letter to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings about it, asking that the second season be put on hold to discuss people's concerns about the show. But so far, Netflix seems keen to push ahead with the second season.
According to ABC3340, Anna's parents also want the show pulled and have started a petition that has been signed by over 50,000 people.
"It definitely has an impact on teenage girls all across the world that think this is the way out because it's popular," Patrice told the ABC3340.
"It does have a mature warning, but that's not enough to stop anybody from going on there to watch it."
The Christian watchdog group One Million Moms are supporting the petition and calls demanding that Season 1 be pulled from Netflix and that Season 2 be cancelled.
"Even the mainstream media has publicized the potential dangers of '13 Reasons Why,' and some schools here in America and abroad have sent home letters to warn parents about the series," the group wrote on its website.
"Those dangers are very real. Asking Netflix to drop this dangerous television series is the right thing to do. Please sign this petition, then share it as a way to warn other friends, family, and church members about the dangers of '13 Reasons Why.'"
