Social Media 'Fuelling Playground Misogyny'

Algorithms used by social media platforms are rapidly amplifying extreme misogynistic content, which is spreading from teenagers' screens to become normalised in school playgrounds, according to a report.

Researchers said they detected a fourfold rise in the level of misogynistic content suggested by TikTok over a five-day period as the algorithm served more extreme videos that were often focused on anger and blame directed at women. 2 →→ While this particular study looked at TikTok, researchers said their findings were likely to apply to other platforms and called for a "healthy digital diet" approach to tackling the problem, rather than outright bans on phones or social media, which "are likely to be ineffective".

The study, by teams at University College London and the University of Kent, will add to growing concern about the impact of social media on young people. Research last week found young men from generation Z- many of whom revere the social media influencer Andrew Tate-were more likely than baby boomers to believe that feminism had done more harm than good.

Meanwhile, the mother of the murdered teenager Brianna Ghey called for social media apps to be banned on smartphones for under-16s after hearing evidence about the online activities of her daughter's killers.

The UCL/Kent study, called Safer Scrolling, says harmful content is presented as entertainment through the algorithmic processes. Toxic, hateful or misogynistic material was "pushed" to young people, with boys suffering from anxiety and poor mental health at increased risk, it said.