Social media influencers ‘fuelling misogyny in schools’

Social media influencers such as Andrew Tate are fuelling an increase in misogyny and sexism in schools, teachers have suggested.

Nearly three in five (59%) teachers said they believe social media use has contributed to a deterioration in pupils’ behaviour in schools, according to a poll by the NASUWT teaching union.

The survey, of more than 5,800 NASUWT members in the UK in January, suggests that teachers think social media is the number one cause of negative pupil behaviour.

The findings have been released during the NASUWT’s annual conference in Liverpool over the Easter weekend.

Delegates at the conference on Saturday voted through a motion which suggested that far-right and populist movements have shifted their recruitment on to social media, messaging and online gaming platforms.

The motion, which was passed without debate, called on the union’s executive to work with teachers “to assess the risk that far-right and populist movements pose to young people”.

It added that the union should work with the Government “to support teachers in challenging far-right and populist narratives” presented to young people.

A number of teachers who responded to the NASUWT’s survey on behaviour referenced the negative influence that Tate has had on male pupils.

One teacher said: “I have had boys refuse to speak to me and speak to a male teaching assistant instead because I am a woman and they follow Andrew Tate and think he is amazing with all his cars and women and how women should be treated. These were 10-year-olds.”

Another said: “In an all-boys school, low socio-economic area, the ‘Andrew Tate’ phenomena had a huge impact on how they interacted with females and males they did not see as ‘masculine’.”

One teacher said: “We had some incidents in school with derogatory language towards female staff (e.g. boys barking at female staff and blocking doorways so they couldn’t leave the classroom), as a direct result of Andrew Tate videos.”

Another said: “In a secondary English class last year, a group of boys opted, despite discouragement, to write a persuasive essay on why Andrew Tate is the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) which included praise of his view that women are a man’s property (…) all of the parents were contacted and were appalled.”

One teacher said: “A lot of the students are influenced by Tate and Trump, they spout racist, homophobic, transphobic and sexist comments in every conversation and don’t believe there will be consequences.”

On Friday, Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT, reflected on the violence last summer – after the murder of three girls at a dance class in Southport – which he said was sparked by “extremists on social media”.

The union leader warned that the events last summer “won’t be the last” unless protective measures were taken.

A motion, passed by delegates at the NASUWT’s conference on Friday, said the impact of the violent disturbances last summer “continues to impact school and college communities” and places their safety and security “at risk”.

Television drama Adolescence, which examines so-called incel (involuntary celibate) culture, has prompted a national conversation about online safety.

Last month, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said there was no “simple solution” to stop boys from being dragged into a “whirlpool” of misogyny as he hosted creators of the Netflix drama at Downing Street.

Mr Roach said: “Misogyny, racism and other forms of prejudice and hatred may have attracted greater media attention of late, but it is clear from our data that these behaviours are not a recent phenomenon.

“There is an urgent need for concerted action involving schools, colleges and other agencies to safeguard all children and young people from the dangerous influence of far-right populists and extremists and to ensure that our schools and colleges are safe places for learners and for staff.

“Teachers cannot be left alone to deal with these problems.

“We need a multi-agency response to improve social media literacy, critical thinking skills, and to expose disinformation and false narratives.

“We are urging the Government to lead a national effort to tackle the root causes of poverty and deprivation and keep children safe online.”

A Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said: “We know the rise of dangerous influencers is having a damaging impact on our children, which is why are supporting the sector in their crucial role building young people’s resilience to extremism as part of our Plan for Change.

“Education can be the antidote to hate, and the classroom should be a safe environment for sensitive topics to be discussed and where critical thinking is encouraged.

“That’s why we provide a range of resources to support teachers to navigate these challenging issues, and why our curriculum review will look at the skills children need to thrive in a fast-changing online world.

“This is on top of wider protections being brought in for children with the Online Safety Act, to ensure children have an age-appropriate experience online.”

The Liberal Democrats said the results were “shocking, but should come as no surprise” and showed the need to “cut addictive algorithms off at their source”.

“Toxic algorithms are pushing many children into dark corners of the internet, where sinister attitudes that cause terrible harm in the real world — including in our schools — are free to develop,” the party’s education, children and families spokeswoman Munira Wilson said.

The party is calling for a safer screens task force to be set up and for money from fines for breaching the Online Safety Act to be reinvested into safer screens education in schools.