Schools are set to give students anti-misogyny lessons in the wake of hit Netflix TV show Adolescence about a teen boy who murders a female classmate.
The classes form part of the government’s new relationships, health and sex education (RHSE) guidance, which will be introduced before the end of the academic year.
It comes after Sir Keir Starmer revealed at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday that he was watching the mini-series with his two teenagers – and that he backs the show creators’ calls for it to be shown in parliament and schools.
The four-episode programme follows the Miller family, whose lives are torn apart when their 13-year-old son Jamie is arrested for stabbing a female classmate to death after being influenced by online misogyny.
The drama, released ten days ago, was the most-watched show on Netflix worldwide last weekend, gripping audiences with its sobering portrayal of how social media and misogynistic influencers can impact young boys.
Though Labour‘s classroom guidance is still being developed, it is understood to include content to ‘support healthy relationships’, to ‘enable schools to tackle harmful behaviour and ensure that misogyny is stamped out and not allowed to proliferate’, an insider source said, the Times reported.
From as early as primary school, children will be encouraged to ‘express and understand boundaries, handle disappointment and pay attention to the needs and preferences of oneself and others’, with content modified for older children to reflect the ‘real-life complexities of romantic and sexual relationships’, the source added.
The development comes as a win for the Netflix show’s co-writers, Jack Thorne and actor Stephen Graham – who stars as the teen boy’s father – who have said they wanted Adolescence to be a programme that ’causes discussion and makes change’.
Schools are set to give students anti-misogyny lessons in the wake of hit Netflix TV show Adolescence about a teen boy (pictured) who murders a female classmate. Pictured: Owen Cooper as Jamie Miller in Adolescence
The classes form part of the government’s new relationships, health and sex education (RHSE) guidance, which will be introduced before the end of the academic year. Pictured: Cooper as Jamie with actor Stephen Graham as his father Eddie in Adolescence
It comes after Sir Keir Starmer revealed at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday (pictured) that he was watching the mini-series with his two teenagers – and that he backs the show creators’ calls for it to be shown in parliament and schools
The new guidance will encourage students to ‘think about what healthy sexual relationships involve’ – including ‘consent’, along with ‘kindness, attention and care’.
As children progress to secondary school, classroom content will start to include the ‘communication and ethics’ needed for healthy romantic and sexual relationships.
Topics covered will range from dynamics of power and vulnerability, to tools to manage ‘difficult emotions’, like disappointment and anger, that can affect relationships.
The effects of misogynistic online content and pornography on both young people’s sexual behaviour and their views of relationship norms will also be discussed.
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has faced pressure to overturn RSHE guidance drafted by the previous Conservative government – which included bans on sex education for children under nine and discussions of gender identity.
Adolescence was praised last week by the parents of a survivor of the Southport stabbings for drawing attention to the ‘terrifying’ impacts of online misogynistic content on young men.
Axel Rudakubana, then 17, stabbed their daughter – known as Child A – more than 30 times during his brutal attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July last year. He killed three young girls – and was jailed for life in January.
The parents, in a statement read out by their MP during a debate on knife crime in the House of Commons on Thursday, said influencers like Andrew Tate are having a ‘terrifying’ impact on teen boys, who needed to be protected from this content.
The four-episode programme follows the Miller family, whose lives are torn apart when their 13-year-old son Jamie (pictured, played by Cooper) is arrested for stabbing a female classmate to death after being influenced by online misogyny
The drama, released ten days ago, was the most-watched show on Netflix worldwide last weekend, gripping audiences with its sobering portrayal of how social media and misogynistic influencers can impact young boys. Pictured: Christine Tremarco as Jamie’s mother Amanda with Graham as her husband and Jamie’s father Eddie in Adolescence
Though Labour’s classroom guidance is still being developed, it is understood to include content to ‘support healthy relationships’, to ‘enable schools to tackle harmful behaviour and ensure that misogyny is stamped out. Pictured: Mark Stanley as Jamie’s lawyer Paul Barlow, Cooper as Jamie and Graham as Eddie in Adolescence
Adolescence was praised last week by the parents of a survivor of the Southport stabbings for drawing attention to the ‘terrifying’ impacts of online misogynistic content on young men. Pictured: Southport killer Axel Rudakubana
Axel Rudakubana, then 17, stabbed their daughter – known as Child A – more than 30 times during his brutal attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July last year. He killed three young girls (pictured) – and was jailed for life in January
Triple murderer Kyle Clifford (pictured) – who shot his ex-girlfriend Louise Hunt and her sister Hannah with a crossbow and stabbed their mother Carol – is known to have viewed Tate’s videos before making his ferocious attacks
Last week, former England football manager Sir Gareth Southgate blasted ‘callous, manipulative and toxic influencers’ for leading young men towards misogyny at the BBC’s annual Richard Dimbleby lecture (pictured)
Rudakubana cleared most of his online search history before the murders – so it is not known whether he viewed any content associated with Tate.
Triple murderer Kyle Clifford – who shot his ex-girlfriend Louise Hunt and her sister Hannah with a crossbow and stabbed their mother Carol – is known to have viewed Tate’s videos before making his ferocious attacks.
Teachers were told in government guidance released last year to look out for signs of misogyny and ‘incel culture’ in students aged 14 and over, which could lead to sexual abuse, violence and suicide.
The education secretary warned teachers to watch out for teen boys who had been indoctrinated by ‘manosphere’ influencers into ‘hating women’.
Last week, former England football manager Sir Gareth Southgate blasted ‘callous, manipulative and toxic influencers’ for leading young men towards misogyny.
At the BBC’s annual Richard Dimbleby lecture, he said the ‘sole drive’ of these pernicious online creators is their ‘own gain’: ‘They willingly trick young men into believing that success is measured by money or dominance, that strength means never showing emotion, and that the world, including women, is against them.’