"These were 10-year-olds."
Social media influencers are fuelling a rise in misogyny and sexism in schools, according to a new poll by a teaching union.
Almost three in five teachers said social media had negatively affected pupil behaviour, the NASUWT poll of 5,800 UK teachers found.
Teachers named influencer Andrew Tate as a key figure behind the rise in sexist attitudes.
According to the findings, Tate is followed by many young boys.
One teacher said: “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… These were 10-year-olds.”
Another teacher 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 Department for Education (DfE) said it was supporting schools in tackling the “damaging impact” of harmful online figures on children.
A DfE spokesperson said the government was offering a range of teaching resources and that its curriculum review would examine the skills children need to navigate digital spaces safely.
Patrick Roach, NASUWT general secretary, said: “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.
“Teachers cannot be left alone to deal with these problems.”
The union will debate a motion on the issue at its annual conference in Liverpool.
It includes concerns that far-right and populist groups are increasingly recruiting through social media, messaging apps and online gaming platforms.
The Liberal Democrats said the poll results were “shocking, but should come as no surprise”.
The party is calling for a task force to be set up and for money from Online Safety Act fines to fund a safer screens programme in schools.
The poll follows a BBC-commissioned survey, which found that more than a third of secondary school teachers had witnessed misogynistic behaviour from pupils in the past week.
Four in ten teachers also said they felt unprepared to deal with the issue.
In a 2023 BBC interview, Tate said he was a “force for good” when asked if his views were harmful to children.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has warned that there is no “simple solution” to prevent boys from being pulled into a “whirlpool” of misogyny.
He welcomed Netflix’s decision to make its drama Adolescence freely available in secondary schools.
The series, which explores the story of a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering a girl from his class, has reignited national debate over online safety.
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