Teachers Warn That Manosphere Influence Is Filling Classrooms

By Sammy Jones-

Teachers across Australia are raising the alarm over what they describe as a growing culture of misogyny, sexualised behaviour and intimidation in classrooms, with concerns mounting about the influence of the online “manosphere” on young boys.

Educators say they are increasingly confronting sexist comments, verbal abuse, sexualised jokes and behaviour, challenges to female authority and, in some cases, physical intimidation. Some teachers report that the conduct has become so distressing that they have questioned whether they can continue in the profession.

The concerns centre on the growing influence of the manosphere, a loosely connected online network of influencers, communities and content creators focused on masculinity, gender and relationships. Parts of the movement portray men and boys as victims of gender equality and promote traditional or patriarchal ideas about the role of women and men.

The issue has gained increasing attention as children and teenagers spend more time online and encounter content that can be difficult for parents and schools to monitor. The subject has also entered mainstream discussion through Louis Theroux’s documentary Inside the Manosphere, which examines prominent figures and communities within the movement.

Teachers say the influence of this online culture is increasingly spilling into classrooms.Educators have reported students making comments about controlling women, using Nazi salutes, making jokes about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and asking teachers intrusive questions about their sexuality and private lives. Others have described groups of boys surrounding female teachers while on duty or deliberately invading their personal space.

In some cases, teachers say students openly challenge female authority. One example involved a student responding to a female teacher being disciplined with the remark: “I don’t speak to angry women.”

Teachers also say that attempts to confront inappropriate behaviour can lead to further abuse, with staff being accused of being sexist, racist or paedophiles when they intervene.

The online influence can also appear in disturbing forms. One teacher reported seeing children as young as 12 playing Five Nights at Epstein’s, a version of the popular horror game Five Nights at Freddy’s reworked around the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

The consequences can be profound for teachers exposed to such behaviour on a regular basis. One educator described the experience as “demoralising, upsetting and infuriating”, although she said she continued to draw strength from the many students who reject misogyny and stand up against unfair treatment. Another teacher said repeated sexualiized behaviour, boundary violations, profanity and inappropriate jokes had severely undermined her sense of safety and contributed to emotional exhaustion and a growing desire to leave teaching.

She described an incident involving a 10-year-old boy who repeatedly made loud sexual sounds whenever she turned to write on the classroom board.

The teacher said the ongoing behaviour had contributed to hypervigilance and significant emotional strain, while also expressing concern that girls could become increasingly accustomed to sexist and sexualized language from their male classmates.

The issue has prompted wider concern among organisations working on violence against women and children’s safety. The Australian National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety has warned about the potential influence of misogynistic online content on the attitudes of boys and young men towards women and girls, including possible links to attitudes associated with violence.

However, educators caution against viewing the manosphere as the only source of the problem.Teachers say some attitudes encountered in classrooms may also be reinforced within families and communities. Difficulties can arise when schools attempt to challenge sexist behaviour and encounter resistance from parents who themselves reject criticism from female teachers.

That means the challenge facing schools extends beyond monitoring what students watch online. Educators are increasingly being forced to navigate the way ideas about masculinity, authority and gender are absorbed and reinforced across a young person’s entire environment.At the same time, teachers say they need greater support in deciding how to respond.

Angelique Wan, chief executive of youth-led organisation Consent Labs, said educators had told her they felt “woefully under-equipped” to address rhetoric associated with the manosphere.Teachers, she said, were often unsure whether they should confront misogynistic views directly in the classroom, whether doing so was appropriate and whether school leadership would support them.

Consent Labs has responded by using a “near-to-peer” model, sending young facilitators into schools to engage students in conversations about the manosphere, pornography, gender stereotypes, consent and masculinity. Wan said the approach had shown encouraging results, particularly among boys who were given space to explore questions about identity and masculinity rather than simply being instructed what to believe.

She said students had reported feeling more empowered to understand what masculinity meant to them and more confident about intervening when they witnessed inappropriate behaviour.The Australian Secondary Principals’ Association has described the rising influence of the manosphere in schools as an “extremely worrying trend”, with president Andy Mison saying it had increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. But Mison stressed that the overwhelming majority of students continue to behave appropriately and that most classrooms remain safe.

He acknowledged the impact inappropriate behaviour can have on female teachers and said schools already have disciplinary measures ranging from verbal warnings to suspension. However, he warned that punishment alone would not address the deeper problem.

“We need to resist the temptation to go to punitive measures. We also have a responsibility to educate,” Mison said. He argued that families, governments and the wider community must share responsibility for confronting harmful online influences rather than leaving schools and teachers to deal with the consequences alone.

“Growing our young people is so important for the future of our country. It just cannot be left to teachers and schools alone,” he said.

Respectful Relationships education is already part of the Australian school curriculum, but the experiences being reported by teachers suggest that schools are facing a rapidly changing digital environment in which harmful ideas can reach children long before educators have an opportunity to challenge them. The growing concern is not simply about what young people are watching online, but what happens when those ideas are carried through the school gates.

For teachers confronting misogynistic comments, sexualized behaviour and intimidation in real time, the challenge is becoming increasingly urgent: how to confront harmful attitudes, protect staff and students, and prevent the most damaging ideas promoted by online communities from becoming normalised among a new generation.