Teachers shocked as primary pupils put Andrew Tate as wallpaper on school iPads (2025)

Scots teachers reported a rise in misogynistic ideology from boys as young as 11 and 12, with pupils showing interest in controversial influencer Andrew Tate.

Scots teachers have raised the alarm on a surge of "misogynistic ideology" among young boys as they report a "concerning" number of male pupils idolising a controversial social media influencer Andrew Tate.

Teachers across the capital claim boys as young as 11 identify with Andrew Tate, a media personality who has been accused of rape and human trafficking, reports Edinburgh Live.

Youths are said to be being exposed to 'Andrew Tate ideology' through social media - and multiple teachers claimed their male pupils have Tate as their wallpaper on school-issued iPads. They also reported an influx of 'sexist behaviour' where boys use sexualised language towards female teachers and 'belittle' female peers.

One high school teacher said: “Today I was called a f****** b**** by a 12-year-old. That has become more common to be sworn at. There are incidents of older boys calling female members of staff “s***” and “f****** c***”.

Another secondary teacher said: “There is a notable level of disrespect shown to female teachers compared to male counterparts. It’s frustrating when you call upon a male colleague and you get a completely different response [from students].”

This comes as survey data from the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) found boys were more likely to exhibit “ violent and aggressive” behaviour towards women teachers than men teachers, according to 51 per cent of their branches in 2023.

In the same year, 40 per cent of branches stated that prejudice-based violence had increased over the same period.

Andrew Tate is a social media personality, businessman and former kickboxer. His platform is largely built on videos and podcasts teaching men how to achieve success by amassing wealth, muscle, and women.

He appeared briefly on the reality show Big Brother in 2016 before being removed when a video emerged which appeared to show him attacking a woman.

The media personality is known for saying things like: "I'm a realist and when you're a realist, you're sexist. There's no way you can be rooted in reality and not be sexist“ and "I think my sister is her husband’s property”.

In recent years, his content has been banned from social media sites like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram for propagating “hateful ideology”. Spotify recently followed suit in February of this year, removing Tate’s podcast on “pimping hoes” for “violating platform policies”.

Tate was put under house arrest in Romania in 2024 after being charged with rape, human trafficking and forming an organised crime group to sexually exploit women.

Secondary school teachers spoke about young boys flocking to Tate’s ideology, which educators say coincides with a reported rise in sexism.

One secondary school teacher described an incident where a 15-year-old boy disrupted her class talking about how girls should perform good oral sex. On a separate occasion, a third-year boy made a lewd reference to masturbation towards a young female member of staff.

She added: “If this happened a few years ago, it would have been an automatic exclusion. But it’s happening so often now, it’s now normalised. Schools are very different places to what they were even five years ago.”

High school teachers felt the sexist behaviour was linked to a rise in boys consuming content from influencers like Andrew Tate.

One educator described a “bizarre” admiration for Tate among boys aged 11 and 12, saying: “When you look at pupil’s iPad homescreens, lots of boys are choosing pictures of either football Ultra groups or influencers, and Andrew Tate was a very popular photo.

“Andrew Tate has denied sex trafficking and hitting women [but] these boys have been watching videos where Andrew Tate denies this stuff and saying it’s made up. It’s less about Andrew Tate and more about fake information on the internet. I’ve had several conversations with boys who have no problem thinking he’s an alright guy.”

Educators believed the ideology spreads to youth through social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Despite Tate being banned from many platforms, clips of his content still circulate with algorithms reportedly pushing his videos to young boys.

Another secondary teacher shared: “It’s very concerning because I see it taking hold among the youngest pupils, even in primary school with kids as young as 10 and 11. There is a notable level of disrespect shown to female teachers compared to male counterparts.

"Emotionally, it’s very sad to be a woman on the receiving end of that behaviour and feel uncomfortable in the company of very young boys.

“It’s very disempowering and undermining of my authority as a female teacher.”

Some teachers believed that figures like Tate appeal to young boys, especially those from deprived areas.

One teacher said: “The kids I tend to work with are from low socioeconomic backgrounds and grow up in challenging circumstances. Andrew Tate seems to give them something that makes them feel empowered.

“That image of a man - dominant, physically well-built - seems to appeal to young boys. It’s something attainable they can aspire to, a way to succeed. It’s really concerning.”

Awareness of this issue is currently sweeping the nation after Netflix depicted the impact of toxic masculinity on young boys in its hit miniseries Adolescence . The show follows a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering a female classmate and explores the factors that push young boys towards misogyny and extremism.

Amid rising awareness of online misinformation, MSPs wrote to the UK Government in January of this year, calling for solutions to address misinformation and protect young people online.

Educators called for schools to begin teaching young people to engage with online content with more awareness.

Alison Murphy from the EIS added: “We need to equip our young people much better to spot when people are trying to manipulate them.

“It is an absolutely crucial problem. Our children are being badly damaged and radicalized by views from across the spectrum. We need to try to prevent it.”

Councillor Joan Griffiths, Education, Children and Families Convener said: “It is highly concerning to hear these accounts which seem to reflect a worrying shift in the attitudes that some young people in our schools are expressing.

"We do not tolerate extremist or sexist ideology or language in schools.

"We are also providing education as part of PSHE lessons on gender equity, healthy relationships, respect and self-esteem to help young people to recognise, understand and challenge inappropriate language and behaviour.”