Teachers in Wales say Andrew Tate is having a toxic effect on boys that is spilling into the classroom. The influencer, who has millions of followers on social media, once said women should “bear some responsibility” for their own rape.
The 36 year-old British-American former kickboxer, 36, is notorious for promoting his ultra-masculine, luxurious lifestyle online. Tate is currently behind bars in Romania under investigation for suspected rape and human trafficking - matters he denies .
Banned from Instagram, where he had 4.6 million followers, he’s also had more than 12 billion views on TikTok. Secondary school teachers said almost all their pupils were aware of Tate and his messages, many of which appear to be aimed at and appeal to pre-teen and teen boys searching for male role models.
Read more: Andrew Tate detained for further 30 days after Romanian court rejects appeal
One teacher said Tate's influence was most apparent on boys aged 12 to 16 in years eight to 11. They like to discuss and voice support for him, even in classes where the subject wouldn’t generally arise, she said.
The former Big Brother contestant peddled an apparently wealthy lifestyle sharing pictures of expensive cars on social media as well as his views on women - such as wives being the property of their husbands - and how to be manly.
His views also saw him banned from Facebook and Tate is being held in Romania while he is being investigated for alleged sexual assault and exploitation.
Teachers warned that boys are taking in the former Big Brother contestant's brand of toxic masculinity. They said he's become the poster boy for growing misogyny across some social media platforms boys use.
“A lot of boys look up to him as a figure of male strength," said one teacher in a south Wales secondary, "When you try to talk to some of them about the truth of Andrew Tate they just don’t believe that he has been locked up suspicion of rape and trafficking and say it’s 'fake news'.
“When I have asked them about the disgusting things he says about women they say it’s a joke. When I’ve asked if they would like their mothers and sisters to be spoken of like that some have said they wouldn’t, but then say it’s OK because the women Tate talks about are 'pussies'."
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The teacher said she was worried about the influence these views had on girls, most of whom chose to “stay silent” when boys started talking about and defending Tate in class.
“I talked to one boy who said the reason he listened to and followed Andrew Tate was because he didn’t have a dad. I think a lack of positive male influence feeds into this.
“Some of the boys genuinely want to have conversations about Tate, not just to be controversial. But I think in the end it could create a disregard towards female authority in schools and also dangerous attitudes towards girls their own age.”
Another teacher said staff in her school had a general policy of telling pupils they would not tolerate talk about Andrew Tate and tried to close down conversations about the influencer. She feared that refusing to discuss his “dangerous views” might make Tate more appealing and would prevent boys hearing the truth.
“There is a lack of proper discussion about how dangerous his views are because some boys use Tate as a talking point to cause disruption and offence in class.”
She believes some of the language children use when they talk about the self-styled hard man is reminiscent of grooming. She said some of their responses are red flags: “It’s a real safeguarding issue. They tend to use terminology Tate uses without being able to explain what it means when asked.
Another teacher said that it isn’t just vulnerable boys who look up to Tate. Because not all his messages are bad, they pick up on the good ones and then get lured into thinking all his views are acceptable, he said.
None of the teachers wanted to be named, saying they did not want to single out their schools as they believe Tate is a corrosive influence on boys in all schools now. And they warned many pupils don’t seem to fully understand the man’s prejudices and misogyny - instead seeing him as someone to look up to and copy.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the ASCL teachers’ union had said that school leaders plan to discuss Mr Tate’s influence at their next general meeting.
Tate is being held with his brother Tristan and two others in Romania on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group. They deny all allegations. Police have not yet filed any charges against them, but they remain in custody.
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