“But in England and the US, only a quarter of teachers are male. One quarter of English schools do not have a male classroom teacher”
Experts urge schools and parents to take a non-judgmental approach. “This is a conversation that requires acting a bit like an anthropologist,” says Barker. “Ask genuinely open-ended questions, don’t pass judgment, and don’t interfere — at first.” His organisation has put together a list of tips on how to talk to kids about radical influencers. It recommends parents do not preach or censor, but instead ask what their kids like and don’t like about a particular character. Start with open questions — such as “How does listening to them make you feel?”. After building trust, you can dig deeper: “Do you think the women in your life would be hurt by that point of view?” Parents can also talk to children about the nature of social media, about the fact that images and videos are heavily staged and produced. Sometimes the message comes best from older peers. Greater Manchester’s “Social Switch” programme trains boys from Year 10 (aged 14 and 15) to run sessions with Year 7s (aged 11 and 12), with the message that men can be emotional and do not need to treat women as inferior.
