Streaming service Videoland has postponed the release of the documentary series Nachtkinderen, originally scheduled for Wednesday, May 27, 2026.
The delay is due to unforeseen circumstances involving one of the featured participants, requiring a complete re-edit of the project.
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The three-part documentary, directed by Sahar Meradji, follows young people aged 15 to 25 who use drugs, exploring a generation navigating social media and intense performance pressure.
RTL reported that the broadcaster confirmed the delay to Veronica Superguide after viewers noticed the series was missing from the platform.
"Due to unforeseen circumstances in the life of one of those young people, we have decided to remove them from the series," Videoland stated to RTL Boulevard, explaining the sudden scheduling change.
The streaming service noted that the production requires extensive re-editing to completely remove the individual from the footage before it can be broadcast.
"Due to a re-edit, the documentary Nachtkinderen will be available to stream on Videoland at a later time," a Videoland spokesperson said in an official statement.
Network representatives did not provide a specific release date for the updated version.
"Making this documentary is a very careful and vulnerable process," the streaming service continued, highlighting their commitment to participant safety.
The platform declined to share specific details about the situation, citing privacy concerns for the individual and their family.
"Out of respect for the personal situation of this young person and their environment, we will not comment publicly on individual circumstances," Videoland stated in a press release.
The documentary previously sparked public debate after its initial teaser trailer showed teenagers normalizing drug consumption, raising concerns about encouraging substance abuse.
Director Sahar Meradji discussed the pervasive influence of social media platforms on modern youth during an appearance on the morning show Goedemorgen Nederland.
"After everything I've seen, I wonder what it's actually good for.
You have to realize: it's essentially a stream of stimuli coming in all day long," Meradji said during the WNL broadcast.
Meradji noted that algorithms on platforms like TikTok and Snapchat quickly trap young viewers into loops of extreme content, ranging from aggression to drug normalization trends.
"If you wake up in the morning and the first thing you do is open your phone and immediately receive twenty videos from all over the world, then you are not here.
You are not in your own life.
You don't start your day because the sun is shining, but with a kind of view of the world," Meradji said.
The director detailed how specific online trends show users filming their dilated pupils while using ecstasy or sharing experiences about entering a sedative state using ketamine.
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"You only need to watch three videos about drugs and you're already in that algorithm. For example, there are trends on TikTok.
One of them is that young people take ecstasy or other drugs that make their pupils dilate.
They film that, post it on social media, and then write underneath: 'Molly I miss you.' Molly is of course another name for ecstasy.
Other young people then react to that," Meradji said.
Political reporter Mats Akkerman noted that while schools have implemented mobile phone bans to boost concentration, government regulation cannot easily control what happens inside private homes.
"Another example I found really bizarre: there are so-called 'cat princesses.' These are young girls who take a lot of ketamine to supposedly enter a 'K-hole.'
What happens when you take too much ketamine is that you end up in a kind of coma or anesthesia.
Afterwards, they describe the hallucinations or dreams they had in a post.
And underneath, you see reactions from other young people saying, 'Oh, how fantastic, how much did you take?'
It is glorified," Meradji said.
The director stated that many youth participated in the project to seek understanding from an adult world they feel has failed them, using drugs as a coping mechanism against loneliness and anxiety.
"You are young, the world is coming at you, you are developing, you feel insecurity and performance pressure.
And then suddenly there is a substance that makes you feel confident," Meradji said.
An earlier press release from the production outlined the core creative objective of the documentary series before the sudden editing delay occurred.
"In Nachtkinderen, we want to show their world from the inside. It is not just a series about pain, numbness, or crisis.
This is the real story of today's youth. No static report.
No moral warning.
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But an unfiltered time document of what it's like to be young in a world that is increasingly harsh, chaotic, and hopeless," Meradji said.
