Social media influencers such as Andrew Tate are fuelling an increase in misogyny and sexism in schools, teachers have suggested.
Almost three in five teachers (59%) think social media negatively impacts pupil behaviour, according to a survey by teachers’ union NASUWT. The poll, 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.
Teachers told the survey shocking stories about Tate’s presence in the classroom, including one who 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.”
The issue is particularly affecting female and ethnic minority staff. According to the research, female teachers are more likely to regularly receive verbal abuse than male staff, with 27.3% of female teachers reporting verbal abuse several times a week and 14.3% reporting it daily, versus 20.4% and 9.8% of male teachers.
The survey also found teachers describing themselves as from Black, Caribbean or African backgrounds are more likely to experience regular physical abuse from pupils, with 29.6% reporting physical abuse several times a week, compared to 15.9% of white teachers.
Dozens of teachers referenced toxic influencer Tate as directly impacting male pupils’ behaviour, leading to an increase in misogynistic abuse of female staff and pupils. Tate and his brother Tristan are currently under investigation in Romania for human trafficking and other charges. They are also facing allegations of rape and human trafficking in a separate probe in the UK.
Speaking about Tate’s influence in the classroom, one teacher told the survey: “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 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.”
Delegates at NASUWT’s annual conference in Liverpool will this weekend debate a motion which suggests far-right and populist movements have shifted their recruitment onto social media, messaging and online gaming platforms. The motion calls on the union’s executive to work with teachers “to assess the risk that far-right and populist movements pose to young people”.
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It adds that the union should work with the Government “to support teachers in challenging far-right and populist narratives” presented to young people.
It comes after Keir Starmer backed a move by Netflix to show hit drama Adolescence, which explores social media and online misogyny, in secondary schools. The PM last month said there was no “simple solution” to stop boys from being dragged into a “whirlpool” of misogyny as he hosted creators of the crime drama at Downing Street.
Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary, 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.”
A Department for Education 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.”
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