The Algorithm Is Raising Our Sons

Misogyny Is Writing the Code.

A new UK study just confirmed what most teachers already whisper over wine and exhaustion: misogyny isn’t knocking on the classroom door. It’s already seated in the back row, quoting Andrew Tate and telling girls they belong in kitchens.

“Barking at female staff and blocking doorways,” read the headline in The Guardian, reporting on a survey of 6,500 educators by the national teachers’ union. It focused on the UK, but the warning applies everywhere.

It isn't enough that women and minorities are under assault in history books, hiring standards and government policy. But in the classroom?

Another study, this one from PLOS ONE, surveyed 200 secondary school teachers. Seventy-six percent said they were extremely concerned about the influence of online misogyny. Not somewhat concerned. Not cautiously monitoring. Extremely concerned.

This isn’t fringe. Boys are repeating YouTube monologues like they’re gospel. Girls are shrinking—harassed, humiliated, and quietly withdrawing from clubs, council, and class discussions.

No wonder teachers are being demoralised, disrespected, and driven from the job altogether.

One reported a student saying, “It wouldn’t be rape if nobody found out.” Another said a ten-year-old told a girl she “belonged in the kitchen.” That’s not satire. That’s your local primary school.

And no, this isn’t just about Tate. He’s the product, not the problem. The real threat is the broader permission structure. The one that includes Trump, Musk, media pundits, and influencers who reward cruelty and call it confidence. Who treat empathy as weakness.

Trump to TikTok: The Pipeline Is Real

Trump didn’t invent misogyny. He just stripped the shame from it. He gave it a podium, slapped a logo on it, and sold it to the masses.

That “locker room talk” excuse? It’s now part of the culture. A study by the American Educational Research Association found that bullying rose sharply in districts that voted for Trump in 2016, especially attacks based on gender and race.

The Hechinger Report calls it the “Trump Effect”—kids echoing the language of cruelty they hear from adults in power.

This is not a history lesson. It’s happening now. Trump reposted a meme calling Kamala Harris a “mattress,” referencing lies that she slept her way to power. He laughed off E. Jean Carroll’s sexual assault verdict. He suggested Megyn Kelly was “bleeding out of wherever.” These aren’t gaffes. They’re doctrine.

Boys are watching. Listening. Learning.

And Trump is hardly alone. Elon Musk, the world’s richest adolescent, uses his platform to amplify misogynists, bait critics, and mock women who push back. He jokes about impregnating followers to “solve” the birthrate crisis.

He’s not ashamed. He’s admired. Boys don’t want to be astronauts anymore. They want to be Elon.

Meanwhile, under pressure from Republican lawmakers, the U.S. military quietly sidelined multiple high-ranking women from leadership posts. DEI programs are being stripped out. Book bans are targeting stories that address race, gender, and identity.

We’re Cutting the Safety Net, Then Acting Surprised When Kids Fall

Schools aren’t just under fire—they’re being stripped to the bone. Diversity standards are being axed, equity programs dismantled, and IEP protections for neurodivergent students tossed aside like dead weight..

So what happens? Vulnerable kids—those with trauma, ADHD, autism—are left isolated and angry. They find comfort in the algorithm. Some of them will get recruited by rage merchants promising power and control.

We pull out the safety net. We silence the counsellors. We let the loudest voices define the rules. Then we act shocked when middle school boys are quoting Andrew Tate and girls are vanishing from leadership roles.

This Isn’t a Warning. It’s a Case Study

Netflix’s Adolescence is being praised for its depiction of online radicalisation. But teachers aren’t watching it as fiction. They’re watching it as reality TV.

One UK teacher said boys in her school bark at female staff. Another said students refuse to speak to women. Some submitted essays describing women as property, calling Tate “the GOAT.”

This isn’t rebellion. It’s indoctrination. Kids didn’t create misogyny—they downloaded it, streamed it, and repeated it in mock elections because adults handed them the script.

Silence Isn’t Neutral. It’s Complicity

In the UK, at least someone is keeping count. Thirty percent of secondary schools have introduced anti-misogyny lessons. Fewer than ten percent have trained staff or engaged parents.

In the U.S., there doesn’t appear to be comparable data. Either the crisis is moving too fast for researchers to catch it, or the political pressure has made even asking the question too dangerous. When schools are being punished for teaching bias, you have to wonder—are we studying the problem or helping it spread?

So Here’s What We Do

Talk to your kids. Not just about “respect,” but about gender, power, and the predators hiding behind confidence and clout.
Rebuild the support systems. Reinstate IEP protections. Fund counselling. Create space for every student to belong.
Hold platforms accountable. Elon Musk is not a genius. He’s a megaphone for men who think women are infrastructure.
Protect teachers. Not with platitudes, but with real authority and cover from political interference.
Teach digital literacy. If algorithms are raising our children, they need tools to fight back.
And stop pretending school is somehow separate from politics. If Trump can teach boys to mock, we can teach them not to.

If we stay quiet, we’re not just failing this generation—we’re teaching the next one that domination is leadership and compassion is weakness. This isn’t a warning. It’s the baseline.

We let this in. We can still force it out. But only if we stop waiting for someone else to speak first. Because if we don’t, it won’t be just the classroom that collapses. It’ll be the foundation beneath it.