The Troubling Impact of Online Culture on School Behaviour

Educators are raising the alarm over the corrosive effects of online content, misogynistic influencers, and increasingly violent pupil behaviour in UK schools.

New survey findings from the NASUWT teaching union, shared during its annual conference in Liverpool, paint a stark picture: teachers are facing rising levels of sexist attitudes, abuse, and physical violence, often stemming from harmful narratives popularised online.

Social Media: A Catalyst for Misogyny and Hate

Almost 60% of 5800 teachers surveyed by NASUWT in January 2025 reported that social media is contributing to a significant deterioration in pupil behaviour. The NASUWT’s latest Behaviour in Schools Survey confirms that teachers consider social media the number one cause of poor conduct, with alarming patterns emerging around misogyny, extremism, and abuse.

Influencer Andrew Tate was cited by 53 teachers as directly influencing male pupils’ attitudes, prompting a rise in sexist, derogatory behaviour towards female staff and students. According to a variety of news outlets, one teacher reported 10-year-old boys refusing to speak to her because they admired Tate’s views on male dominance. Others described pupils writing essays glorifying Tate’s belief that women are a man’s property, leaving teachers and parents deeply concerned.

But Tate is just one figure in a wider movement. The influence of far-right and populist ideologies is increasingly reaching children via social media, messaging apps, and online gaming platforms. Delegates at the NASUWT Annual Conference are calling for greater action to counteract these narratives and support schools in challenging misogyny, racism, classism, and anti-immigration sentiment.

A Gendered and Racialised Impact on Staff

The survey also revealed striking disparities in the impact of abuse on teachers:

• Female teachers are more likely to experience regular verbal abuse, with over 27% reporting such incidents several times a week, and 14% facing daily abuse.
• Teachers from Black, Caribbean, or African backgrounds face disproportionate regular physical abuse, with nearly 30% reporting physical violence several times each week, compared to 16% of their White counterparts.
• These figures highlight how abuse in schools is shaped by intersecting factors, with gender and race often intensifying both how often staff are targeted and the severity of the harm they face.

Violence in the Classroom: A Growing Crisis

The NASUWT poll also uncovered an alarming escalation in physical aggression. More than two in five teachers experienced violence from pupils in the past year. One in five were punched or hit, and others reported being kicked, spat at, or attacked with objects, including a fire hydrant.

General Secretary, Dr Patrick Roach, warned that many teachers are now prioritising their safety before focusing on educating their pupils. The union estimates that around 30,000 violent incidents involving weapons occurred in the last 12 months.

Dr Roach stated:

‘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.’

Understanding the Digital Pipeline

Experts believe misogynistic influencers are part of a much broader and more troubling trend. Michael Conroy, founder of Men at Work, suggests that exposure to pornography is often the foundation for sexist and harmful attitudes in young boys, sometimes as early as age eight.

In this context, influencers like Tate merely echo what has already been learned online: that dominance, entitlement, and aggression are acceptable male traits. This creates a dangerous digital pipeline that reinforces prejudice and desensitises pupils to violence and abuse.

The Urgent Call for Multi-Agency Action

Teachers are clear: they cannot face this alone. The NASUWT is calling for a multi-agency response to:

• Improve social media literacy and critical thinking in schools
• Equip staff with training to challenge disinformation and extremist rhetoric
• Develop curriculum content that confronts misogyny, racism, and prejudice
• Support safe digital environments through regulation and education

Dr Roach urged the government to spearhead a national effort to tackle not only the symptoms but also the root causes, such as poverty, deprivation, and online harm.

A Department for Education spokesperson responded:

‘We know the rise of dangerous influencers is having a damaging impact on our children, which is why we 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.’

As part of this effort, the Government is reviewing curriculum priorities and implementing the Online Safety Act to regulate harmful online content. Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have called for the creation of a safer screens task force, funded by fines under the Online Safety Act, to directly support schools in building safer digital habits.

From Netflix dramas like Adolescence, which spark national debate on incel culture, to the lived experiences of teachers on the front lines, one thing is clear: schools are increasingly absorbing the fallout of a toxic online culture. While teachers are doing what they can, they need greater support, stronger policies, and coordinated national action to protect pupils and themselves from a digital world that is growing ever more hostile.

Sara Spinks

SSS Author & Former Headteacher

7 May 2025