Jodie Sweetin, known for her iconic role in Full House, is taking on a more dramatic turn in her latest project, Dateless to Dangerous: My Son's Secret Life, premiering on Lifetime on Saturday, June 21 at 8 p.m. ET.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Sweetin opens up about her new Lifetime original movie, which tackles the timely and important issue of the online subculture of incels, similar to Netflix's Adolescence.

'Dateless to Dangerous' vs. 'Adolescence'

Sweetin explains how her new Lifetime movie is in the "same vein" as the popular Netflix series, but "not quite as dark". "It is serious. Adolescence ... I was sobbing [while] watching. It's heavy," she shares. "We addressed some really heavy stuff [in Dateless to Dangerous], but we didn't quite go [as dark]. There is some light at the end of the tunnel."

Adolescence, which premiered on Netflix in March, followed a 13-year-old schoolboy who was arrested after a girl in his school was murdered, sparking conversations around the mostly male-dominated subculture of incels.

A Personal Connection

Sweetin, a mother of two, felt a personal connection to the themes addressed in Dateless to Dangerous, especially as a parent. "I read this script when they sent it to me, and obviously, I'm very involved in a lot of things politically, and a lot of what's going on in our world right now. But being a mom to 17 and almost 15-year-old girls and watching what they've gone through and struggled with, I see it."

She adds, "Young men right now are being fed this constant stream of misogynistic, racist, homophobic ideas that sort of are trying to create groups or community or something around things that they hate. And I think as parents, we see these kids and we're like, 'This is not how I grew up.' 'I want something different for you.'"

Using Her Platform for Good

Sweetin notes that what's important to her at this point in her career is to use her platform to do the most good that she can. "Career-wise, I think it's about I want to help art get us through all of this because whether it's comedy, whether it's painting, whatever, the world is a lot right now."

She concludes, "Look, I love doing my Hallmark movies, I love my Jane Mysteries. I love those because they're much like Full and Fuller House fans, they love their Hallmark people. But this was nice to finally have the opportunity to do something different, darker, more serious."

Don't miss Dateless to Dangerous: My Son's Secret Life, premiering on Saturday, June 21 at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.

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