By Sam | Curious Femme

Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson recently graced the pages of the Daily Mail to offer his verdict on a Netflix drama being shown in schools: Adolescence, a hard-hitting series about teenage life, online abuse, and the risks young people face in a digital world. His verdict? It’s “tosh.” Not content with that dismissal, Johnson then likened Keir Starmer’s endorsement of the show to the regime of Pol Pot.

Yes. Pol Pot. The genocidal dictator responsible for the deaths of over one million people.

Let’s be clear: comparing a media literacy initiative to a totalitarian genocide trivialises real history, undermines genuine safeguarding efforts in schools, and—most importantly—ignores the actual crisis unfolding in British classrooms.

Because misogyny is not fiction. It’s happening in real time.

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This Isn’t Woke Indoctrination—It’s Safeguarding

In March 2024, a survey conducted by UNISON and UK Feminista revealed some deeply troubling statistics:

• 25% of secondary school support staff had witnessed sexual harassment in their school within the last five years.
• One in ten female staff in secondary schools had been sexually harassed by pupils.
• 24% of staff observed pupils discussing sexist online content. Of those, 51% saw a noticeable change in boys’ behaviour, including disrespect towards girls and teachers.

One example: A group of Year 5 boys in a primary school asked a female staff member, “Do you like cum, miss?” Another teacher reported boys trying to kiss her and push her head towards their genitals.

This is not satire. This is not overreach. This is Britain, 2024.

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Online Misogyny is Infecting the Classroom

A study by the University of York (2025) confirms the same disturbing trend. Teachers across primary and secondary schools are reporting a rise in toxic behaviours linked to online influencers—especially figures like Andrew Tate.

One primary school pupil reportedly said it was okay to hit women “because Andrew Tate does it.” In secondary schools, students were dismissing girls’ voices, mocking female teachers, and parroting phrases that belong in an alt-right forum—not a classroom.

This isn’t teenage rebellion. It’s radicalisation by algorithm.

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The System Isn’t “Woke” — It’s Unprepared

According to UNISON’s 2024 report:

• 47% of staff don’t know if their school has a sexual harassment policy.
• 40% wouldn’t know what to do if they witnessed sexism.
• Many staff described feeling isolated, ignored, or afraid of repercussions if they reported harassment.

This isn’t a culture of censorship. It’s a culture of silence. A culture where female staff are called “bitches,” students shout “man up” at crying boys, and headteachers tell women to “stand there and look pretty.”

It’s the culture Boris refuses to see.

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What Adolescence Actually Offers

Far from brainwashing children, Adolescence invites critical conversation. It offers pupils a chance to reflect on online harm, peer pressure, consent, and identity in a world where influencers have more reach than teachers.

The problem isn’t that we’re teaching these lessons. The problem is that we haven’t been teaching them soon enough.

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So, Boris…

You’re not in the classroom. You’re not facing down Year 9 boys quoting misogynistic podcasts. You’re not standing in front of a board, trying to command respect from students who’ve absorbed a worldview that sees women as inferior.

Teachers are. And they deserve more than to be mocked for trying to protect children.

The issue here is not a drama series. It’s not “wokeness.” It’s a system where patriarchal violence goes unchecked and where misogyny is allowed to grow in the dark corners of YouTube and WhatsApp groups.

So, no—this isn’t a Pol Pot-style re-education camp. It’s a crisis of conscience. And it’s time our leaders stopped laughing and started listening.

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Call to Action:

• We need comprehensive media literacy and sex and relationships education from primary school onwards.
• Schools must implement robust sexual harassment policies and support mechanisms for both staff and students.
• Teachers need training and protection, not political ridicule.
• And we must challenge the cultural power of online misogyny—from the staff room to Parliament.

Because if girls are being silenced, assaulted, and dismissed at school, and the best a former Prime Minister can do is mock the resources designed to help them, we need to ask: who is really failing the next generation?

#SexismInSchools, #OnlineMisogyny, #BorisJohnson, #FeministEducation, and #CuriousFemme