Teacher Warns Of ‘Trickle Down’ Effect Of Misogyny On Young Kids

Anyone who watched Louis Theroux’s Inside The Manosphere will be aware that misogynistic content is rife online. Yet these views haven’t just appeared out of nowhere, they’ve been around for years – and social media has amplified it thanks to rage-fuelled algorithms.

Nearly 70% of boys aged 11-14 years old have been exposed to misogynistic content online, according to Ofcom.

After Netflix’s much-lauded series Adolescence shone a spotlight on misogyny among school children last year (and introduced many parents to terms like red pill and manosphere), teachers told HuffPost UK misogynistic comments are commonplace, even from primary school-age boys.

Just this week, one Birmingham-based teacher, who wished to remain anonymous, told Birmingham Live a six-year-old pupil had “said he wasn’t going to get his fruit at snack time and one of the girls would have to go and get the fruit for him”.

The teacher noted misogynistic views are being “trickled down” to younger children through older siblings who are consuming this content online.

When the six-year-old was pulled up on his comments, he said his older brother had been “watching the videos”.

Research by the University of York found most primary and secondary school teachers are “extremely concerned” about the influence of the manosphere – a collection of websites and forums that typically promote masculinity, some of which amplify misogynistic views – on children and young people.

One-quarter of teachers referenced male pupils discussing misogynistic influencers or misogynistic movements from the internet, such as incels.

Educator Rebecca Leigh previously told us she’s noticed “a rise in misogyny” among students – some as young as 11 or 12.

Unison, the UK’s largest union, said a major issue currently affecting schools is the rise in sexist behaviour and language, and sexual harassment – noting it’s being fuelled by explicit content online, as well as on mobile phones.

Childhood is a critical stage of development, and children are “highly impressionable” and particularly vulnerable to extreme views, family psychotherapist Fiona Yassin told HuffPost UK.

“The internet is a hotbed for extremism and misinformation and early research around the impact of the ‘manosphere’ on children is incredibly alarming,”

But parents, carers and anyone working with children can play a role in shaping how youngsters view women.

Regardless of whether you believe your child is exhibiting these behaviours or consuming harmful content online, conversations about misogyny and the treatment of women are incredibly important.

And given all the data, it’s never been more pressing.