Written evidence from NSPCC [MIS0033]

Overview

The NSPCC welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Women and Equalities Committee Inquiry into Misogyny: the manosphere and online content. Looking across our research, insights from our frontline services, and contacts to NSPCC’s Childline and Helpline, we know that experiences of misogyny among children and young people are widespread and that this is having a significant impact on their lives. In a connected world, the experiences children and young people have both offline and online shape their views and behaviours in all environments. We are therefore pleased to see the Committee’s focus on this important topic and welcome any further opportunities to engage with this inquiry.

Addressing children’s experiences of this harm must be a priority for Government and should be a key part of the upcoming Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy to achieve the Government’s stated goal of halving VAWG in a decade. We encourage the Committee to utilise this timely inquiry to press this matter with Government.

How prevalent are misogynistic views, attitudes and behaviour among young people today, particularly in educational settings? What examples are there of these views, attitudes and behaviours?

The available evidence suggests that misogyny is widely prevalent in schools and online.

Children and young people are displaying misogynistic views and behaviours in schools. A recent Teacher Tapp survey found that more than a third (39%) of secondary school teachers said they are aware of at least one incident of misogynistic behaviour from a pupil in the last week.[1] Concerningly, evidence indicates that misogynistic incidents are rising, with most teachers who have been teaching for at least five years reporting that they have seen increases in misogynistic behaviour among pupils since they started teaching.[2]

Exposure to misogynistic content online is increasing too, and impacting boys’ behaviour. Research commissioned by Vodafone found that around 7 in 10 boys had encountered posts promoting misogyny, and 42% of parents have heard their sons make inappropriate comments because of what they have seen online, including sexual, violent, or degrading comments about women and girls.[3] Over half (52%) of the boys responding to this survey were aware of and had engaged with content from influencers with ties to the manosphere.

Research suggests there are rising incidents of incidents of harmful sexual behaviour (HSB) between pupils, the majority of which are perpetrated by boys.

Ofsted’s 2021 report on sexual harassment in schools, carried out in response to ‘Everyone’s Invited’, described a shocking normalisation of sexual and gender-based violence in schools.[4] More recently, a survey found that one in eight secondary school teachers reported that a child in their school had committed sexual assault against another pupil in the past term.[5]

The creation and sharing of AI-generated child sexual abuse material (known as deepfake nude images) is an example of technology-facilitated HSB which is presenting a significant risk to girls. Whilst this form of abuse can and will impact both boys and girls, early evidence suggests that amongst children, consistent with other forms of image-based abuse, it is particularly being used by boys to target girls.[6] Girls have reported that these images have been created of them and circulated within schools. The Association of School and College Leaders have also raised concerns that deep fake imagery is being used maliciously against staff and pupils.[7]

“I’m still so anxious about what happened at school last year. These boys made fake porn of loads of the girls, including me, sent them to loads of group chats. They were excluded for a bit, and we had a big assembly about why it was wrong, but after that school told us to forget what happened. I can’t forget though, people think that they saw me naked, and I have to see these boys every day” Girl, aged 14, Childline[8]

Responses from staff to HSB incidents indicate that misogynistic attitudes can be present in a school’s broader culture, including among staff. Those contacting NSPCC’s Helpline and Childline continue to highlight the downplaying of pupils’ inappropriate sexual behaviour towards peers, including many examples of teachers labelling sexual assault as ‘boys being boys’ or suggesting ‘boys just do this stuff’. It is vital that teachers are equipped and empowered to reflect on their own views and respond appropriately to these types of incidents.

We welcomed the Government’s initial response to Ofsted’s report, including updating Keeping Children Safe in Education, but this evidence reinforces the need for a sustained focus on tackling misogyny and HSB in schools. As outlined below, this must include equipping teachers with the confidence and skills they need to prevent and respond to these incidents.

Children and young people are concerned about the impact of misogyny online and in schools.

Contacts to Childline show that girls are experiencing misogynistic views and behaviours from other children, and that these are impacting their safety, wellbeing, and confidence. Parents have also expressed concern about the impact of HSB on their children.

“I like gaming. The people I play online are mostly boys - and some are sexist. One game had voice chat and some guys were talking about how the women they like are ones that stay in the kitchen and keep quiet.” Girl, aged 16, Childline

“Me and my friend tried reporting this boy at school for harassment. At school he’ll stand really close to you, like pressing against you, and will try to touch your thigh if he sits next to you. He also sends nudes to girls on Instagram and threatens to take our virginity. You block him, but he makes more fake accounts.” Girl, aged 15, Childline

Boys contacting Childline also describe the pressure to promote misogynistic attitudes. They express frustration that all men are judged by the actions of a minority of misogynistic men. Childline also hears from boys who share that they are feeling nervous, lost, and stigmatised about how they are supposed to interact with girls.

“I am exposed to a culture of toxic masculinity whenever I am on social media or in real life, where people around me expect me to act ‘masculine’ and have misogynist thoughts and beliefs about women. Like there’s all these videos on TikTok claiming ‘men should be men’ and women have a lower status than men. Deep down, I know these views are wrong, and all I want to do is challenge them but sometimes I feel like I’m in the minority and I’m fighting a losing battle.” Boy, aged 18, Childline

How is content on social media and online, such as violent pornography, contributing to sexist and misogynistic attitudes and behaviour and violence against women and girls both online and offline? How are social media influencers shaping attitudes towards women and girls? 

The proliferation of misogynistic and violent content online is having a detrimental impact on boys’ attitudes and behaviour towards women and girls. Children and young people have frequently raised this with the NSPCC, and it is reflected in the concerns of those who directly work with and support children too.

One concerning driver of sexist and misogynistic behaviour is exposure to extreme pornography.

In 2023, the Children’s Commissioner published findings which showed that 1 in 10 children had seen pornography for the first time by the age of 9, with the average age being 13. And before the age 18, almost 80% had seen violent pornography specifically.[9]

Watching pornography at a young age can have a detrimental impact on a child’s understanding of sex, consent, and healthy relationships. Easy access to pornography can set unhealthy expectations of sexual relationships and shape unrealistic and misogynistic perceptions of women and girls.

Contacts to Childline highlight the deeply concerning impact that viewing extreme pornography can have – with children and young people raising how this content has shaped their perception of women as sexual objects, and distorted their view of healthy relationships.[10] This includes boys who are concerned about how they view women and girls, and girls raising that they feel pressured into reenacting what is shown in pornographic content.

“I have been bullied into watching pornographic videos by people at school. One of the videos showed a woman pinned to a table like she was being raped – it made me feel sick”. Boy, aged 13, Childline

“Watching porn was just something everyone in my social group did. I never really thought about how it was polluting my mind until I realised how awkward I am around girls. It’s like I’m not able to talk to a girl without seeing them as a sexual object, when I should be seeing them as a human, as a friend, etc. I feel so disgusted with myself, and I just wish I could be normal.” Young male, aged 18, Childline

Widespread exposure to content from misogynistic influencers is also impacting boys’ attitudes and behaviours.

One study found that almost two-thirds of young men were regularly engaging with men and ‘masculinity influencers’ online. Whilst these influencers’ content covered a wide range of themes, the young men who regularly engaged with these influencers (compared to those who do not) were more likely than others to report negative attitudes towards women and their roles in relationships.[11]

The impact of misogynistic influencers been regularly raised as a concern by teachers, with one study finding that over three-quarters of secondary school teachers surveyed were extremely concerned about the influence of online misogyny in their schools.[12] Teachers highlighted that changes in behaviour include boys praising misogynistic influencers, making misogynistic comments, and engaging in discriminatory behaviour towards female peers and staff.

This concern is shared by children and young people themselves. Around half of boys and over half of girls aged 15-16 believe that the online world has made misogyny worse.[13] In contacts to Childline, girls and parents have specifically noted the growing impact of ‘influencers’ such as Andrew Tate. Girls have shared their distress that boys and young men in their lives look up to these figures, their concerns about how changes in boys’ behaviour are impacting them, and a sense of hopelessness in things improving.

“You’ve probably heard about Andrew Tate, the influencer famous for posting sexist and misogynistic content. All the boys in my class talk about his videos, they’re so influenced by him. They started picking on me and some of my friends because we are girls wanting to become things that ‘aren’t for women.’ It’s made me feel like I’ll never get into my chosen field considering people like them will be in the future generation. I hate it so much but I know I can’t do anything to stop it.” Girl, aged 13, Childline

“I’m calling about my 17-year-old son. I’ve noticed his behaviour has been changing lately; he seems to have a strong dislike towards women. Like, he often refers to girls as ‘bitches’ and that men are basically the superior sex. He spends all his time on his phone, like any teenager, and I’m worried he is being radicalised from what he’s viewing online. I can’t be sure what sites he’s looking at but he’s mentioned this Andrew Tate fella, who I’ve seen has millions of followers...” Parent/Carer, NSPCC Helpline

What role are social media companies and online platforms playing in the promotion of misogynistic content?  

Social media companies often actively promote misogynistic content to young boys, creating dangerous ‘digital echo chambers’.

Whilst some young people may actively search for violent and misogynistic content online, we know that often they report simply ‘stumbling across it’, with this content being promoted to them through a service’s recommender system.

This is especially the case for misogynistic content shared by online influencers. Numerous studies carried out by researchers and journalists highlight that young boys can be fed a high volume of Andrew Tate content despite never searching for it. For example, one investigation[14] showed that users would often be recommended Andrew Tate videos on TikTok after viewing non-harmful content generally aimed at men; another report[15] found that almost 30 videos featuring the Tate brothers were served to a fake account of a teenage boy within a two-hour period on YouTube Shorts.

A research project led by UCL and the University of Kent also looked at TikTok.[16] It found that after only five days of using the app, there was a fourfold increase in the level of misogynistic content being presented on the ‘For You’ page for the user, with the user exposed to increasingly misogynistic ideologies. The report highlights that the increased frequency of this content helps to create a ‘digital echo-chamber’, which normalises these views and attitudes amongst boys.

This kind of volume and intensity is incredibly damaging to the wellbeing of children and young people; and translates into both the on and offline world.

It is important to note that increasing their levels of user engagement, including by presenting extreme material, is a central part of the business models of mainstream social media companies. Social media sites use the data generated by the time a user spends online to target them with relevant advertisements, a critical part of their revenue stream, which can create barriers in the extent to which they are willing to invest in ‘safety by design’.[17]

What strategies and interventions are needed to address misogyny among young people?

Children and young people must have access to age-appropriate lessons about healthy relationships and be taught why misogyny has no place in our society. 

Education is one of the strongest levers for preventing and addressing misogyny. Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) can play an essential role in helping children and young people to develop healthy relationships, to recognise when something isn't right, or when behaviour is inappropriate or harmful, and to know where to seek support.[18]

The NSPCC therefore want to see a commitment to ensure all children receive high-quality, inclusive RSE, starting in primary schools. This must include teaching children about misogyny, relationship abuse, and tech-enabled harms including non-consensual image sharing and nudification apps.

RSE is most effective when set within the context of a whole school approach and underpinned by statutory safeguarding arrangements. A whole-school approach to RSE ensures that everyone in the school community works together to create a respectful, inclusive school environment. This can be achieved by weaving the principles of inclusivity, healthy relationships and safeguarding throughout formal school policies and practices; school culture, ethos and environment; and the relationships between school, home, and the community; and ensuring the on and offline worlds are not dealt with in isolation from one another. This must include supporting parents and carers to mirror the information and content that is being shared at school in their conversations with their children at home.

A key benefit of this more holistic approach focused is that it can help schools change children and young people’s attitudes and behaviours before they embed or escalate.

Schools need to listen to children and young people and ensure RSE reflects their needs and the issues they are currently facing.

To ensure RSE remains relevant to children and young people’s experiences of misogyny both on and offline, it is vital that pupils are meaningfully consulted on the curriculum and that it evolves to meet their needs and the changing context of society.

In 2023, the Sex Education Forum’s survey of around 1,000 young people aged 16-17 in England found only 40% rate their RSE lessons as ‘good’ or ‘very good’.[19] Meanwhile, nearly one in five (18%) still say their in-school RSE is bad or very bad and more than half of pupils reported not learning enough about key issues include pornography (58%), LGBTQ+-relevant information (54%), and healthy relationships (54%).

NSPCC research with children and young people also found they are rarely consulted on their RSE and want a curriculum which reflects the realities of their lives.[20] 

Government should invest in teacher training to boost confidence to help RSE play its part in tackling misogyny.

A key barrier to education being an effective tool for tackling misogyny is confidence amongst teachers to deliver content about sex and healthy relationships.  An NSPCC survey with NASWUT found only 50% of teachers feel confident to deliver RSE.[21]

More recently, the Youth Endowment Fund found that, several years on from the NSPCC survey, confidence levels have not improved and have in fact slightly dropped, with (55%) of secondary teachers citing a lack of confidence or expertise as the main barrier to delivering PSHE and RSE lessons.[22] 

Focusing on initial and ongoing training, professional development and effective guidance is critical to addressing confidence levels among teachers, particularly with regard to the delivery of age-appropriate content and meaningful debate. Evidence suggests that around a third of secondary teachers who teach RSE and PSHE have never received training to teach these subjects, and nearly half of those teachers would welcome more guidance from the Government on approaches to tackling misogyny in schools.[23]

It is vital that the Department for Education does more to support schools and teachers to harness the power of effective RSE in reducing misogyny and sexual violence towards girls within schools and online. This should include further investment in teacher training.

Local agencies must be supported to better respond to children displaying harmful sexual behaviours, including when they are motivated by misogyny.

Evidence from NSPCC services suggest that agencies are failing to provide children and young people affected by HSB with an adequate response. In particular, NSPCC HSB audits[24] carried out in 35 local areas has consistently found that workforce expertise is lacking, and that multi-agency working and information sharing remains poor.

As a result, education professionals in particular feel like they are carrying a lot of risk with incidents of HSB and are not getting sufficient support from other relevant agencies such as social care. These audits have also identified a very limited level of response to children, other than from youth justice where behaviour is particularly violent or severe. This misses opportunities for early intervention and using education to address the underlying drivers of behaviour including misogyny.

It is vital therefore that government ensures that local agencies are sufficiently equipped and resourced to effectively respond to children and young people displaying harmful sexual behaviours.

Ofcom must hold services accountable for the role they play in promoting misogynistic content.

Ofcom’s work implementing the Online Safety Act is vital for tackling children’s exposure to misogynistic and violent content online.

Ofcom’s draft Online Gender-Based Harms Guidance recently closed for consultation.[25] There are several ways this guidance should be strengthened to address the harms discussed in this consultation, including key areas highlighted below.

Firstly, assessments of all online gender-based harms must include age-based analysis, identifying where and how girls are likely to have specific experiences due to the combination of their age and gender. Overlooking the impact of age on gendered harms means that solutions will not fully meet girls’ needs. For example, offering women greater choice over their safety settings is a sensible policy approach. In contrast, some specific safety measures should be ‘always on’ for girls to provide them with enhanced protections as their understanding of online safety develops.

Furthermore, additional measures should be included in the guidance to better address the risk posed by gaming platforms. Online gaming often introduces characters and storylines where harmful gendered ideas and stereotypes can be reinforced and normalised. In the extreme, some games explicitly encourage misogynistic beliefs in players. This was demonstrated by the game ‘No Mercy’, hosted on online gaming platform Steam until public campaigns led to its removal in the UK.[26] The aim of this game was described as to virtually rape and assault as many women as possible and used extremely violent misogynistic taglines like: “Never take 'no' for an answer.” Currently, Ofcom’s Guidance does not include enough measures to tackle the risks posed by these platforms.

Finally, Ofcom should provide further detail as to how they will incentivise services to comply with the Online Gender-Based Harms Guidance as it is not mandatory, such as by introducing a rating system to analyse the uptake of good practice and highlight where services are failing to take appropriate action against online-gender based harms. Ofcom and Government must also keep adoption of the Guidance by service providers under regular review. If there is not a significant move by service providers to implement the Guidance, the Government must move quickly to place the Guidance on a statutory footing as a ‘Code of Practice’. The Guidance is due to come into effect early 2026; reviewing uptake after six months, and then moving to change its status if necessary, would be appropriate given the scale of this harm.

Government must utilise the upcoming VAWG Strategy to tackle misogyny both online and offline.

The Committee has an important opportunity to challenge the Government on how they will address the risks identified to children and young people through this inquiry in the upcoming VAWG Strategy and future work.

The Public Account’s Committee latest report[27] on VAWG highlights the failings of successive governments failings to adequately prevent harm and protect and support girls. To avoid such failures from occurring again, the Home Office must seize the opportunity presented by the Government’s commitment to halve VAWG by focussing on preventing harm from occurring to children and between children, ensuring sufficient support is in place for those who experience abuse, and making online spaces safer for children.

The Committee should hold Government to account by:

• Calling for meaningful cross-departmental working to meet the Government’s target to halve VAWG in a decade. This must include coordinating all VAWG spend and introducing accountability and progress metrics for all relevant departments towards its target.
• Government should commission a new UK-wide prevalence study of all forms of abuse and neglect of children to ensure that an up-to-date understanding of the scale and nature of child abuse can inform policy and practice.
• Making sure there is join-up between the existing (and any future) Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Strategy and the upcoming VAWG Strategy.

Contact

Rani Govender, Policy and Regulatory Manager (Child Safety Online) rani.govender@nspcc.org.uk

Liz Crowhurst, Policy Manager (Young Victims and Witnesses) elizabeth.crowhurst@nspcc.org.uk.

About the NSPCC

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June 2025