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submitted 1 week ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

Summary

Social media influencers are fuelling a rise in misogyny and sexism in the UK's classrooms, according to teachers.

More than 5,800 teachers were polled... and nearly three in five (59%) said they believe social media use has contributed to a deterioration in pupils' behaviour.

One teacher said she'd had 10-year-old boys "refuse to speak to [her]...because [she is] a woman". Another said "the Andrew Tate phenomena had a huge impact on how [pupils] interacted with females and males they did not see as 'masculine'".

"There is an urgent need for concerted action... to safeguard all children and young people from the dangerous influence of far-right populists and extremists."

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[-] Carmakazi@lemmy.world 341 points 1 week ago

Every teacher I hear from (US) these days basically says the newest generation coming up is completely screwed. Unreal levels of behavioral issues that are not being addressed at home. Complete lack of engagement with the lesson plan, unfinished assignments all over. They need to curve grades left and right just to get the majority of the class to pass. The parents are more emboldened than ever to make the teachers' lives hell over things they know nothing about and refuse to take responsibility for.

It's easy to brush it off as the standard generational nose-thumbing...but this seems different. Something is really breaking down and I think social media is at the center of it.

[-] reddig33@lemmy.world 234 points 1 week ago

It’s a shame teachers are pressured to “curve grade” rather than just flunk these people and hold them back a grade.

[-] gonzo-rand19@moist.catsweat.com 123 points 1 week ago

Even when I went to elementary school over 15 years ago in Canada, kids weren't allowed to be held back without written permission from their parents. I thought it was really fucking weird because we literally had a kid whose mom did all of his homework (everyone knew; he had horrible writing and she didn't) and yet refused to put him in a remedial class or have him repeat a year.

[-] null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com 21 points 1 week ago

I can't help but wonder what Dad's take on this situation was.

[-] anomnom@sh.itjust.works 41 points 1 week ago

That assumes there was one (dad, or take from the dad).

[-] in4apenny@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I knew a kid like that in school, who's mother did all his homework and projects for him, he couldn't even spell "phone". He was a rich kid who would miss half the school year going on family trips, never took the SAT's, never went to university. He's now an executive at JP Morgan (wish I was joking.)

[-] bobs_monkey@lemm.ee 81 points 1 week ago

Schools now lose funding when kids don't pass, so admins press teachers to move them along.

[-] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 99 points 1 week ago
[-] laurelraven 9 points 1 week ago

All Kids Shuffled Off To Become Someone Else's Problem

[-] Photuris@lemmy.ml 18 points 1 week ago

Republicans really do destroy everything

[-] Valmond@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago
[-] merc@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 week ago

"When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodhart%27s_law

Or, if you prefer a clip from The Wire, juking the stats.

[-] Carmakazi@lemmy.world 51 points 1 week ago

Many if not all school districts in the States have their funding tied to their performance, so there is a negative incentive to make grades look good. My elementary school tried to place me in their Special Ed program because my grades would have brought the average up there.

Plus, holding back 60, 70, 80% of an entire class just isn't logistically feasible in most cases.

Neither is passing a kid who doesn’t understand the material.

[-] lolcatnip@reddthat.com 9 points 1 week ago

It is when that kid becomes someone else's problem to deal with.

[-] Madzielle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 25 points 1 week ago

Its so absurd.

I went to a rural title one highschool. I took general level classes and had honors/high honors at least half of my semesters.

Half way through my senior year, I moved. It sucked balls. My new school, was small, literally the smallest school in my state. Graduation class size was 54 students. It was outside the Capital city, and affluent. Everyone was a "prep" had money, some drove very fancy cars to school ect.

The new school didnt offer Gen level classes, only college and AP. I was upset at that because those classes were known to me to be super difficult at my old rural school. At that time I just wanted to smoke pot with my friends tbh. But .. I took the classes.

Y'all. This little rich prep school's College course classes were easier than my Title one school Gen Ed. I couldn't believe it. This was 2006, and I know now, they did that to keep the funding going. All the little rich kids had parents who could afford to send them all to college, and they needed to look good for thier hard-to-get-into universities.

It still frustrates me the world is like this.

[-] someguy3@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago

I believe it. I think the much older push against standardized tests was so that "fancy" schools could pump up their grades. I never understood the newer push against standardized tests, you want them exactly so schools can't pump up their grades. Standardized tests create an actual level playing field.

[-] Ep1cFac3pa1m@lemmy.world 99 points 1 week ago

Something is really breaking down and I think social media is at the center of it.

I feel like you could apply this to almost every societal crisis we’re facing. It’s like social media took every little crack in the foundation and turned it into a chasm.

[-] Inaminate_Carbon_Rod@lemmy.world 29 points 1 week ago

Parents in Facebook echo chambers trying to discover who to blame for their child’s shitty behaviour then getting into arguments when they are told to perhaps get off their phone and speak to their child.

Children in Facebook echo chambers where they make their neurodivergence their entire personality while simultaneously excusing any and all behaviour due to it.

If both groups spoke to each other a lot could be changed.

[-] uienia@lemmy.world 46 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

It is different, because never in human history has it been easier to influence people. We are literally addicted, as in the brain is literally addicted, to our little disinformation device, the output of which is largely controlled by malicious powerful entities. Now add impressionable young brains to the mix.

It is a pretty terrible scenario with no obvious solution.

[-] Wanpieserino@lemm.ee 23 points 1 week ago

Those damn machines, impacting the youth!

Those damn newspapers, impacting the youth!

Those damn radios, impacting the youth!

Those damn TVs, impacting the youth!

Those damn internet connected computers, impacting the youth!

Those damn smartphones, impacting the youth!

Those damn AI models, impacting the youth!

[-] InvertedParallax@lemm.ee 19 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Our youth now love luxury, they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders, and they love to chatter instead of exercise. Children are now tyrants not servants of their household. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up their food and tyrannize their teachers.

[-] theangryseal@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago

Thousands of years of this stuff.

I’m probably just another old idiot who can’t see things for what they really are, but social media does scare the hell out of me. It’s hard to imagine it being a good thing when personalities are shaped by algorithms that exist entirely to drive engagement so a company makes a buck.

It isn’t just rich chocolaty ovaltine. The kid isn’t being brainwashed to drink a sugary drink from time to time. The kid is a constant revenue stream.

[-] datavoid@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 week ago

I feel like literally every generation for the last 1000+ years probably had a similar sentiment

[-] InvertedParallax@lemm.ee 5 points 1 week ago

You'd be off by 1500 years, that was Socrates.

[-] datavoid@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Considering 2500 years ago is more than 1000 years ago, I'll assume you mean 500 years in the future.

(Also if that's an actual Socrates quote that's hilarious)

[-] InvertedParallax@lemm.ee 3 points 1 week ago

That was Socrates circa 500-ish BC, 2500 years ago or so.

[-] tetris11@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 week ago

They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents,

Uh...

[-] untakenusername@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago

its all about who controls that stuff

[-] someguy3@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

We really have reached a whole new level of impression.

[-] GrumpyDuckling@sh.itjust.works 21 points 1 week ago

Covid really fucked them in not getting normal socialization at school and put a lot of kids behind by a couple of years accedemically. Right now 4/5th grade and up are really screwed. Plus parents just aren't engaged.

[-] ThomasCrappersGhost@feddit.uk 12 points 1 week ago

I’d at least consider parents aren’t engaged due to time and energy, cause of pressures at work.

Also, when I was at school there were teachers that put extra time and effort in with kids that were top of the class and bottom of the class. Bet it wouldn’t be like that now cause everyone is so rundown.

[-] GrumpyDuckling@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 week ago

The curriculum has changed so much and policies require that kids with learning disabilities can have an IEP (Individualized Education Program) and teachers have to come up with alternative learning for multiple kids, leaving them with little time to do anything else. On top of that, experienced teachers have stated that behavior has taken a sharp decline. They no longer separate the problem kids from the rest of the class because studies have shown that their outcomes are better if they remain in normal classes. However, this forces teachers to deal with constant disruptions which causes negative effects on the other students.

[-] octopus_ink@slrpnk.net 2 points 1 week ago

policies require that kids with learning disabilities can have an IEP (Individualized Education Program)and teachers have to come up with alternative learning for multiple kids, leaving them with little time to do anything else.

Please don't throw mud at IEPs. I grew up in the 70s when all the "retarded" kids were lumped in together regardless of issue, and now have a son who can only attend public school due to having an IEP and specialized support.

If more money needs to be spent to help teachers (including getting more of them or more help for those who there are) I'm all for it, but this sounds a little current-POTUS-ish.

[-] WhatYouNeed@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

Throw into that mix all the parents who think home schooling is best. Sure, for a select few it's going to be better, but the majority are going to struggle in later life.

[-] GrumpyDuckling@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 week ago

What usually happens is a parent gets reported to social services for child abuse. Then they go to facebook ranting about how bad the school is and that they're being targeted. Then they pull their kids out of school to "homeschool" so they can continue to abuse their kids.

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[-] Madzielle@lemmy.dbzer0.com 17 points 1 week ago

I am, not great at parenting, I've made hella mistakes. I've only one son and do my best.

The number of teachers/therapists (my son works a few programs for his needs) that have been floored by my willingness to parent and hold my son accountable for his actions, is far too high.

While I'll take the compliment being "a breath of fresh air" (an actual compliment from a therapist) it bothers me more parents cant take thier own faults to accountability nor hold their children to any standard of conduct really saddens me. I shouldn't be a wildflower in a field of dirt, it should be a field of flowers damn. A silly metaphor but you get my point hopefully.

[-] bradboimler@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago

I am, not great at parenting, I've made hella mistakes. I've only one son and do my best.

It sounds like you are

[-] smeenz@lemmy.nz 12 points 1 week ago

Those kids are the next generations parents. What are their kids going to be like?

[-] merc@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 week ago

Luckily, they probably won't have any.

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[-] SunshineJogger@feddit.org 10 points 1 week ago

Based on who America voted for president I don't feel very surprised about the issues and behavior of parents.

I would be surprised if this were the case in every state though.

[-] metaldream@sopuli.xyz 8 points 1 week ago

It's mass narcissism and it's going to destroy our society.

If I don't see signs of change soon, I'm getting tf out of here.

[-] Photuris@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 week ago

This is it. We’re a Narcissistic culture, and it’s getting worse.

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[-] sexy_peach@feddit.org 5 points 1 week ago

Seems like teachers and schools aren't properly equipped for modern kids.

[-] metaldream@sopuli.xyz 10 points 1 week ago

More like modern kids aren't equipped to deal with reality.

[-] someguy3@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

I'll broaden it to not just social media, but the totality of endless scrolling social media, plus endless access to narcissist "influencers", plus addicting video games (inspired by gambling patterns), plus must watch addicting TV shows and movies on demand. A lot of this is endless dopamine machine. Add in both parents working and only children with no siblings is less socialization.

[-] technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

So this teacher had nothing bad to say about the teaching or the education system? It's just bad kids and their bad parents, right? How convenient for teachers.

In reality these schools are indoctrination camps on the school-to-prison pipeline. We live in a fascist society that's literally destroying the planet. Schools are a fundamental part of this process.

TBH kids shouldn't listen to their teachers and schools. That's what got us here.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_religion

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this post was submitted on 20 Apr 2025
1208 points (100.0% liked)

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