Andrew Tate has become "hugely well known" among teenage pupils, teachers say as they "fear for boys' girlfriends"

7 January 2023, 18:37 | Updated: 7 January 2023, 18:42

Teachers have slammed social media firms for allowing misogynistic social media personality Andrew Tate to become "hugely well known" among teenage schoolboys.

Campaigners say the British-American influencer, 36, is causing young boys to be sexist towards their teachers.

Southport assistant head Helen Hinde said: “Boys are attracted to him because he tells them he is successful and rich. He is selling a lifestyle.

She told The Guardian: “When we mention his hatefulness towards women, some excuse it as simply creating a successful life for yourself."

Tate is being held in Romania after being arrested on human trafficking charges last month.

Read more: Romanian prosecutors seize 11 of Andrew Tate’s cars including his Bugatti

Read more: Greta Thunberg mocks Andrew Tate following his arrest in Romania

An unnamed primary school teacher in north London added: “It’s the most vulnerable and socially awkward boys that are drawn in and given a sense of belonging to something that is very dangerous.”

An unidentified 15-year-old added: “I don’t think the staff are fully aware who Tate is and what he stands for.

“I worry for these boys’ girlfriends.”

Anti-misogyny class trainer Michael Conway said boys have also begun quoting Tate during his sessions.

He told the newspaper: "Algorithms make it possible for someone like Tate to be hugely well known to 14- to 18-year-old boys."

One boy said it was a woman's fault if she was attacked while walking alone at night.

Conway's company, Men at Work, has run more than 50 sessions at schools across the country.

Videos of and about Mr Tate have become wildly popular on YouTube and TikTok.

Clips using a hashtag of his name have been viewed more than 13 billion times on TikTok alone.

A TikTok spokesman said after he was banned in August: "Misogyny is a hateful ideology that is not tolerated on TikTok.

"We've been removing violative videos and accounts for weeks, and we welcome the news that other platforms are also taking action against this individual."

It comes as the government's touted Online Safety Bill is being debated in Westminster.

Under the legislation, social media firms will be expected to do more to safeguard children against harmful content online.

According to a survey of 2,000 children by the children's commissioner, half of children have seen harmful posts in the last four weeks.

Dame Rachel De Souza said: “Fifty per cent of them in the last four weeks had seen really disturbing things… violence, gore, pro-dieting, pro-suicide, really horrible things.”

James O'Brien reflects on whether he should give Andrew Tate the oxygen of publicity