Sir Keir Starmer has been warned he must act now to save a generation of “lost boys” from the toxic online ideas peddled by the likes of self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate.
A new group, backed by the Brighton & Hove Albion FC chief executive Paul Barber and Tony Blair’s former spin doctor Alastair Campbell, has called on the government to intervene to protect young men from harmful influences online.
Prosecutors say former kickboxer and social media influencer Tate faces a list of charges when he is returned to the UK, including rape, actual bodily harm and human trafficking, but that “domestic criminal matters” in Romania must be settled first.
His lawyers say he and his brother Tristan will return to Britain to defend themselves against the charges.
The new Lost Boys taskforce has called for a “Trusted Adult Guarantee”, which would give every young person in Britain access to a role model outside their family.
This would see 10,000 adults trained as part of a scheme that would initially focus on boys growing up in poverty.
Earlier this month, schools were given new guidance designed to teach children how to combat misogyny, in a bid to combat the rise of the “manosphere” – a network of online platforms promoting men’s interests fuelled by the belief that feminism oppresses men – among young people.
At the same time, it stressed the need to avoid “stigmatising boys for being boys”.
But Mr Barber said: “I know from my own experience how crucial having a reliable mentor when you’re young can be. At a time when toxic influencers like Andrew Tate are filling the void for so many boys, it’s clear that too many young men feel isolated and directionless.
“That’s a ticking time bomb – not just for them, but for the generations that follow. By making sure every child has access to a trusted adult at school or in their community, the government has a real opportunity to change the lives, outcomes and potential of Britain’s young people.”
It comes after Angela Rayner warned earlier this week that the increasing amount of time people spend online was among a number of societal pressures having a “profound impact on society”.
Last week, the education secretary Bridget Phillipson said that as the manager of a refuge for women and children fleeing domestic violence before she became an MP, she had “seen first-hand the devastating impact when we don’t foster healthy attitudes from the youngest age”.
“I want our children to be equipped to defy the malign forces that exist online. Schools and parents alike have a vital role to play, helping children identify positive role models and resist the manipulation too often used online to groom impressionable young minds.”
In its manifesto last year, Labour pledged to halve the rate of violence against women and girls in 10 years.
And earlier this year, Sir Keir praised the Netflix drama Adolescence for highlighting how the issue and said he wanted a discussion on what could be done to stop young boys “being dragged into this whirlpool of hatred and misogyny”.
This week it emerged that children and teens could face two-hour limits on apps such as Snapchat and TikTok as part of a government crackdown on “compulsive” screen time habits.
