Children exposed to misogynist views online 'five times more likely to think hurting people is OK'

11 October 2023, 15:32

By Natasha Clark

@NatashaC

Children who are exposed to misogynist views of influencers like Andrew Tate are five times more likely to think its okay to physically hurt someone.

Young people who view extreme content online are more likely to grow up with unhealthy expectations and attitudes to relationships, a damning new report warns.

Research from Women’s Aid, shared with LBC finds that worrying behaviours indicative of controlling behaviour, including ‘love bombing’, stalking and the giving of unwanted gifts, are normalised by those who have been exposed to harmful content online.

The national domestic abuse charity today publishes a deep dive into what influences kids and the links between domestic abuse.

It shows a link between those who look at harmful misogynist content online and the normalisation of unhealthy behaviours in relationships.

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They were more likely to think there should be a more dominant person in a relationship, too.

And those exposed to these views were more likely to see abusive behaviours like "love bombing" as "romantic".

Among young boys and recent school leavers, 25 per cent said they didn't think you always needed consent from a partner to have aex with them.

They also found that one in four 18 to 25 year olds didn't recall any sex education at school on sexual harassment.

Farah Nazeer, the chief executive of Women's Aid, said: "Given young people's reliance on social media as a source of information, our report shows a clear and worrying link between viewing dangerous and misogynist content and unhealthy perceptions of relationships.

"These findings are crucial to helping our society move into the future that has no room for misogyny, where girls and women are safe and relationships are rooted in consent."

Last month a Romanian court eased geographical restrictions on Tate.

The decision by the Bucharest Tribunal to alter the judicial measures against Tate, 36, allowed him to resume travel anywhere in Romania, his spokesperson said.

Tate appeared at court in August where he was released from house arrest.

Romanian prosecutors formally indicted Tate in June along with his brother, Tristan, and two Romanian women in the same case.

All four were arrested in late December near Bucharest and have denied the allegations against them.