Online influencers such as Andrew Tate are fuelling an increase in sexism in the classroom, says a new survey from education union the NASUWT. It comes after the Netflix series Adolescence thrust concerns around incel culture into the spotlight.

Summary

Social media influencers are fuelling a rise in misogyny and sexism in the UK’s classrooms, according to teachers.

More than 5,800 teachers were polled… and nearly three in five (59%) said they believe social media use has contributed to a deterioration in pupils’ behaviour.

One teacher said she’d had 10-year-old boys “refuse to speak to [her]…because [she is] a woman”. Another said “the Andrew Tate phenomena had a huge impact on how [pupils] interacted with females and males they did not see as ‘masculine’”.

“There is an urgent need for concerted action… to safeguard all children and young people from the dangerous influence of far-right populists and extremists.”

  • vga@sopuli.xyzEnglish
    85·
    23 hours ago

    I mostly disagree with that. Cocooning up into a terminally online person makes one’s life worse, not better.

    Straight up abusive parents are another thing of course. But even then those kids need sheltering, not the internet.

    • scintilla@lemm.eeEnglish
      61·
      17 hours ago

      I think you underestimate the sheer number of homophobic parents that aren’t necessarily abusive but would be if their kid ever came out. There are a lot of people I’ve talked to that their online escape was the one thing that kept from killing themselves.

      I’m not saying that it’s healthy but there are a lot of kids in a situation that they can not escape from because of the way that society treats children. Children are treated as something that is closer to property than an individual when it comes to things like law enforcement and emotional abuse.

      • pablodaniel@lemmings.worldEnglish
        21·
        12 hours ago

        I think muad’dib is just projecting and maybe you are, too.

        Using the internet to avoid dealing with problems in real life is an unhealthy crutch.

        • scintilla@lemm.eeEnglish
          2·
          11 hours ago

          unfortuatly the healthy way to deal with a situation like that is to remove yourself from it which children are not allowed to do.

      • Lka1988@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        31·
        16 hours ago

        Homophobia is abusive. Regardless of the intentions. Ignorance of that fact doesn’t excuse it.

        • scintilla@lemm.eeEnglish
          5·
          16 hours ago

          I agree. Try arguing that to a conservative judge in the south and you will simply be sent home with your abusive parent, who is likely enraged about having to defend themselves from the “law”.