The current Netflix series Adolescence offers a valuable and timely insight into the online environments shaping the attitudes and beliefs of many young people today: in particular the growing influence of online misogyny and incel culture—a set of narratives that present a reductive, adversarial view of gender relations and have become increasingly accessible to boys in their early teens, and in some cases, even earlier.
The series makes it clear that these ideas are no longer confined to obscure internet forums. They are being disseminated rapidly through mainstream platforms and are often framed in ways that appear humorous, ironic, or deliberately provocative. This can make them more difficult for adults to identify and challenge, and easier for young people to absorb without immediately recognising the implications.
It is increasingly evident that many young people—particularly boys—are encountering this material before they have had access to any structured, age-appropriate education around sex, relationships, and consent. In the absence of earlier interventions, the voices they are hearing first are often those of influencers and content creators whose messages are designed to provoke and polarise. The risk is that, by the time schools begin addressing these topics formally, certain attitudes and assumptions are already deeply embedded.
This is not a new challenge, but the speed and scale with which content is now being accessed have changed significantly in recent years. Young people are being introduced to pornography at an earlier age; they are entering online spaces where misogynistic ideas are presented as fact, and where vulnerability is often exploited rather than supported. Without proactive engagement from educators, parents, and wider safeguarding systems, the likelihood is that these influences will continue to shape behaviour and expectations in ways that are difficult to unpick later on.
This is precisely why The Schools Consent Project exists. Our work is rooted in the belief that education around consent, boundaries, and respectful relationships should begin early and continue throughout a young person’s development. These conversations should not be isolated or reactive; they need to form part of a broader culture in which young people are encouraged to reflect critically on the information they receive, online and offline, and where they can ask questions without fear of judgement or embarrassment.
We have also found that approaching these topics with clarity and neutrality is more effective than using alarmist or moralising language. Young people respond well to straightforward, evidence-based discussion that acknowledges the reality of their digital lives without seeking to condemn or control it. They also benefit from hearing these messages consistently—from teachers, parents, external speakers, and the wider community—so that no single voice is left to do all the work.
One of the key lessons from Adolescence is that we cannot assume these topics will only become relevant at a certain age or stage. The internet does not follow a developmental timetable, and neither should our educational response. While content needs to be age-appropriate, the foundations of consent education—respect, empathy, communication—can and should be introduced in the early years of schooling and revisited regularly in more nuanced ways as students grow older.
We must also recognise the need to support boys in particular, not only in challenging harmful views but in offering them a coherent, positive understanding of relationships, identity, and emotional wellbeing. Incel culture often thrives in the absence of alternative narratives—when boys feel isolated, misunderstood, or excluded from broader conversations about gender and power. A robust, inclusive education programme helps to counter that by reinforcing a shared framework for mutual respect and safety.
At The Schools Consent Project, we remain committed to providing this kind of education in schools across the country. But the broader challenge cannot be met by one organisation alone. It requires coordinated effort across education, safeguarding, and policy. Most of all, it requires a collective commitment to starting early, speaking clearly, and engaging consistently with the issues that matter most to young people today. The stakes are high—but the opportunity to make a difference is still very much within reach.