National UK domestic abuse charity, Women’s Aid, has published this report into what influences children and young people’s attitudes towards domestic abuse, proving a direct link between the viewing of harmful misogynist content online and the normalisation of unhealthy behaviours in relationships.

The research explores children and young people’s understanding of gender roles, relationships and sex, with the goal of informing Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) in schools. The report shows some worrying findings, notably the research shows a link between misogynistic online content and unhealthy views on relationships, which Women’s Aid know underpin domestic abuse. For example, those who have viewed such content, including from influencers like Andrew Tate, are five times more likely to view hurting someone physically as acceptable if you say sorry afterwards. The report also finds that worrying behaviours indicative of controlling behaviour, including ‘love bombing’, stalking and the giving of unwanted gifts, are normalised by those who have been exposed to harmful content online.

The research also explores children and young people’s views on the current RSHE curriculum and identifies some significant gaps that need to be urgently improved, by working in collaboration with specialist organisations, like Women’s Aid. For example, while the biological aspect of sex education has been covered extensively, with 75% of those surveyed saying that they learnt about it in secondary school, education around domestic abuse, healthy relationships and controlling behaviours was found to be lacking, with a third of those surveyed saying that they recalled no education about these topics covered at school. Additionally, the report found that girls had a significantly better understanding of healthy relationships, controlling behaviour and asking permission than boys, suggesting that the curriculum needs to go further to engage boys.

The findings in relation to the existing RSHE curriculum are especially worrying, when viewed in conjunction with a concerning gap in awareness when it comes to getting support for domestic abuse experienced at home or in relationships. While 70% of children and young people said they would seek support if they needed it, a staggering 61% of them were unsure about what support would be available to them, or where to seek it.