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Letter to parents with regard to media coverage of Andrew Tate

Dear Parent/Carer

You will be aware from recent media coverage that there have been concerns raised regarding social-media influencers, not solely, but in particular when it comes to their potential impact on boys and young men.

You may already be aware of one such individual, Andrew Tate, who describes himself as “absolutely a misogynist’. There have been a number of recent stories which have related to his recent arrest and detainment in Romania on suspicion of human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group. It has become evident that many young men and boys have not been put off following Tate or being influenced by his negative messages. We are aware that some learners are aware of Tate and the opinions he shares online.

Whilst some of Tate’s posts appear to focus on wellbeing and mental health, they are combined with deeply misogynistic, sexist, homophobic, and violent material including:

• Saying that rape victims put themselves “in a position to be raped” and “must bear some responsibility”, claiming most do this for advancement in ‘opportunity’.

• Claiming mental illness makes people ‘weak’ and that depression ‘isn’t real’.

• Promoting gendered violence and misogyny on his podcast and posts about relationships.

• Saying "I'm a realist and when you're a realist you're sexist. There's no way you can be rooted in reality and not be sexist."

• Saying that there is no such thing as an independent female and that women belong to men.

It is clear that the content of Tate’s posts are directly in conflict with the messages and values we, at Weston College believe should be shared with our community, especially with our male learners. We believe he portrays a negative role model for young men and boys and has shared very troubling stereotypes about women, those struggling with mental health and members of the LGBTQ+ community. We also recognise that many learners still have questions regarding Tate’s values and social media content.

Tate’s social media content has been banned from many social media platforms but there is still a possibility that learners will come across these as they use the internet. We would also urge you to take the time to regularly monitor internet activity at home, as well as have open and honest discussions on this and other related topics.

This is an important safeguarding exercise that I know all parents and carers will take seriously and as a college, Student Services and curriculum are already implementing strategies to further educate our learners about the dangers of Tate’s messages as part of their programme of study looking at equalities, consent and healthy relationships.

If you would like to talk to your child about this issue the online education support service, Bold Voices, have produced an informative and helpful guide for parents to help them talk to their children about Tate and the issues his posts raise. Safer Schools have also provided further information and advice in relation to this harmful content.

If you are concerned about this or have any other worries relating to your child, please contact their tutor. A reminder that if a learner has a concern about themselves or a peer, they can also talk confidentially with our welfare team who are available at all campuses or contactable via welfare@weston.ac.uk.

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