The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), the UK’s leading professional association for leaders of primary, secondary and post-16 education, had identified concerns regarding young people’s wellbeing and their social media usage, including the popularisation of online hate speech and misogyny.
Funded by the AHRC and working in association with the University of Kent’s Professor Nicola Shaughnessy, Dr Caitlin Shaughnessy and ASCL, Dr Regehr’s research used online misogyny as a case study to explore this escalating issue. The research set out to trace how harmful material is algorithmically circulated on platforms like TikTok and to examine its impact on young people’s behaviours.
Using an innovative methodology to access hidden and highly personalised content on platforms such as a TikTok, archetypal young male profiles were developed based on long form interviews. After analysing over 1000 videos, the research findings revealed that after just five days there was a fourfold increase in the level of misogynistic content being presented on the ‘For You’ page of the individuals TikTok account. The research also found that harmful content was gamified through soft or humorous cultural forms and presented as entertainment through the algorithmic processes of social media platforms. Subsequent interviews with school leaders enabled further evidencing of the proliferation of misogynistic ideas and language within school settings which has moved off screens and into schoolyards. As a result, ideologies, such as sexism and misogyny, are normalised amongst young people and seep into their everyday interactions, with boys lacking awareness of the impact of this on their female peers.
The resulting report Safer Scrolling (2023) recommended peer-to-peer mentoring schemes which include boys as part of discussions regarding online misogyny to avoid alienation. It also recommended a healthy digital diet approach to encourage critical digital literacy skills to support young people, schools, parents and the community at large. This approach would equip young people (as well as parents and other adults) to deal with these issues and content when they come across them; to recognise radicalisation and think critically about toxic online material.
The findings generated over 300 media articles both nationally and internationally, including the front page of The Guardian and BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour. The Minister for Education, Bridget Phillipson, MP pledged to implement the research’s recommendations across the national curriculum. Ofcom has identified the issue of ‘safer algorithms’ in their new consultation regarding online harms. The ongoing collaboration with ASCL has led Dr Regehr and colleagues Dr Caitlin Shaughnessy and Katharine Smales to work with 100 young people nationwide co-producing recommendations on what healthy digital consumption should look like. She has also been contracted by PanMacmillan, one of the UK’s largest general publishers, to write a book titled Smartphone Nation: Why We Are All Addicted to Screens and What You Can Do About It. It will be released in 2025.
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