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.”
There aren’t influencers in the east?
When you consume social media in China you see a lot more travel influencers, foodies, educational reels, and generally more positive content. People who post rage content there get banned.
So yes, they have influencers, but the social media I’ve seen out here is more moderated. Not true for all countries of course, you can get the same TikTok in Japan, and there are LOTS of hateful comments on the Japanese internet.