1 00:00:00,840 --> 00:00:04,760 Speaker 1: So yesterday PPTA members secondary school teachers voted to make 2 00:00:04,800 --> 00:00:08,559 Speaker 1: addressing online extremism and official policy and are now pushing 3 00:00:08,680 --> 00:00:12,000 Speaker 1: for government action. Teachers say they are seeing more misogyny 4 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:14,080 Speaker 1: from young boys, as well as in aphobia and anti 5 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:17,239 Speaker 1: Mauldi rhetoric, and I believe them. Sit down with your 6 00:00:17,239 --> 00:00:19,720 Speaker 1: teenager and ask them about Andrew Tate or Trump or 7 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:22,079 Speaker 1: trade wives, which are some of the complaints, and they're 8 00:00:22,120 --> 00:00:24,440 Speaker 1: all over it. And yes it is driven by social 9 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:28,680 Speaker 1: media and algorithms and their peers. So I do understand 10 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:32,120 Speaker 1: the teachers' concerns, but it's not for the government to fix. 11 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:33,879 Speaker 1: I'll get to the teachers in a minute. But this 12 00:00:34,000 --> 00:00:37,720 Speaker 1: is primarily an issue for parents. It's parents who are 13 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:39,800 Speaker 1: responsible for setting the tone when it comes to their 14 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:43,320 Speaker 1: children's beliefs and values, and as they grow and almost 15 00:00:43,360 --> 00:00:47,160 Speaker 1: inevitably push back against their parents and their ideas while 16 00:00:47,159 --> 00:00:49,640 Speaker 1: they develop their own. It's also on the parents to 17 00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 1: listen and without judgment and courage open discussion. It's parents 18 00:00:53,960 --> 00:00:56,360 Speaker 1: we need to get into the trenches with our teenagers 19 00:00:56,400 --> 00:00:58,920 Speaker 1: and have those difficult conversations so that we understand where 20 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:01,400 Speaker 1: they're coming from and why. Example, a young man might 21 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 1: have been drawn into a toxic online culture of masculinity. 22 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:08,480 Speaker 1: Only then perhaps can we be in a position to 23 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:11,880 Speaker 1: do something about it. I'm sure the teachers are right 24 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 1: when they say parents aren't fully aware of the content 25 00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 1: their children are being exposed to. I chat to my 26 00:01:16,959 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 1: teenagers about contentious people and issues on social media in 27 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:22,399 Speaker 1: the news, and I'm curious to know whether they're aware 28 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,440 Speaker 1: of it. And sometimes I just have to act very 29 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:28,120 Speaker 1: cool and hide my surprise when I discover that not 30 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:30,800 Speaker 1: only are the cross it, but they've researched it, thought 31 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:34,200 Speaker 1: about it, and will already have formed an opinion. Parents 32 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:39,200 Speaker 1: are so far behind. Sometimes obviously, if a teacher hears 33 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:41,920 Speaker 1: something harmful or disgusting, if they feel someone's been radicalized 34 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:43,839 Speaker 1: to a point where the person or others aren't safe 35 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:46,479 Speaker 1: in yees, it needs to be challenged. We don't want 36 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 1: to be We don't want this to be normalized, although 37 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:51,440 Speaker 1: many teenagers will tell you it already is. But just 38 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:53,560 Speaker 1: as many schools put phone bands in place before it 39 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:56,440 Speaker 1: was legalized, schools can have guidelines for acceptable behavior in 40 00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: a classroom without government interference. But when it comes to 41 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:04,160 Speaker 1: political ideology, Trump and trade wives or canceling people. We 42 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:09,440 Speaker 1: need to encourage debate and teach young people to disagree agreeably. 43 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:12,960 Speaker 1: Teachers are at the forefront of this and may well 44 00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:15,920 Speaker 1: bear the brunt of it. It's easy to say that 45 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:20,400 Speaker 1: teachers should use these moments as constructive exercises and critical thinking, 46 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:22,920 Speaker 1: and I'm sure that many of them do, but others 47 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:26,680 Speaker 1: will be terrified of being accused by parents of indoctrinating 48 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:31,120 Speaker 1: their children. So there is undoubtedly room for greater media 49 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:35,919 Speaker 1: literacy when it comes to understanding misinformation, disinformations, in aphobia, misogyny. 50 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:39,920 Speaker 1: But teachers have got other things on their plates, So parents, 51 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:44,120 Speaker 1: you're up for more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge. 52 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:47,640 Speaker 1: Listen live to news talks that be from five am weekdays, 53 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:49,959 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.