Cliff Notes – Boys refusing to talk to female teachers
- A survey by NASUWT reveals 59% of teachers believe social media, particularly influencer content, is worsening student behaviour, contributing to misogyny and sexism in UK classrooms.
- Educators reported that influences like Andrew Tate have led to derogatory attitudes among male pupils towards women and non-conforming peers.
- The NASUWT calls for a multi-agency approach to combat the rising tide of far-right and extremist ideologies affecting young people’s interactions in schools.
Andrew Tate phenomena’ surges in schools – with boys refusing to talk to female teachers | UK News
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 as part of the survey by the NASUWT teaching union, and nearly three in five (59%) of teachers said they believe social media use has contributed to a deterioration in pupils’ behaviour.
The findings have been published during the union’s annual conference, which is taking place in Liverpool this weekend.
One motion that is set to be debated at the conference calls on the union’s executive to work with teachers “to assess the risk that far-right and populist movements pose to young people”.
Andrew Tate was referenced by a number of teachers who took part in the survey, who said he had negative influence on male pupils.
One teacher said she’d had 10-year-old boys “refuse to speak to [her]…because [she is] a woman”.
Another teacher said “the Andrew Tate phenomena had a huge impact on how [pupils at an all-boys school] interacted with females and males they did not see as ‘masculine'”.
While another respondent to the survey said their school had experienced some incidents of “derogatory language towards female staff…as a direct result of Andrew Tate videos”.
Last month, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hosted a discussion in Downing Street on how to prevent young boys from being dragged into a “whirlpool of hatred and misogyny”.
The talks were with the creators of Netflix drama Adolescence, which explored so-called incel culture.