The phrase ‘protect our girls’ is increasingly prominent in debates about young people, social media and misogyny.
There are legitimate reasons for concern. Misogynistic content is widespread online and growing, raising important questions about how our 24/7 social media world is shaping our young people and what we do about it.
Recent cases of young men’s violence against girls – such as the sentencing of a 14-year-old boy in Gloucestershire who stabbed a girl after she refused to date him – illustrates how online and offline harm can intersect.
This comes at a time when Netflix’s Adolescence touched a nerve among the nation, prompting wider discussion among parents, schools and policymakers about boys, online harms, misogyny and masculinity.
English (US)