Social media platforms are ‘marketing misogyny’ to boys for profit, the creator of Adolescence has said as he backed a ban for children.
Jack Thorne, who wrote the Netflix drama, suggested the UK could follow Australia in imposing a blanket ban on social media for under-16s.
And he said the ‘real problem’ is tech firms ‘making money’ off promoting harmful attitudes to women among young boys.
It comes after new online safety rules from Ofcom were criticised earlier this week by campaigners who said they did not go far enough.
They accused the watchdog of putting the profits of Big Tech firms ahead of children’s safety.
Mr Thorne was giving evidence to the Commons’ Women and Equalities Committee as part of their inquiry into misogyny among young boys.
He said his research for Adolescence, which tackles themes of dark online influences, revealed how prevalent misogynistic culture is on the internet.
During a recent interview with MPs, the creator of Adolescence expressed his belief that there should be stricter laws in place for online platforms to prevent the continuous exposure of misogynistic content to young boys. When questioned about this issue, he firmly stated his support for stronger regulations.
He highlighted that social media platforms are actively promoting misogyny to young boys as a means of generating profit. The creator of Adolescence emphasized the detrimental impact this content can have on impressionable minds and called for action to address this concerning trend.
In reference to potential solutions, Jack Thorne, the writer of the Netflix drama, proposed that the UK could consider adopting a similar approach to Australia. He suggested implementing a comprehensive ban on social media usage for individuals under the age of 16 to safeguard them from harmful content. Thorne’s stance on this matter aligns with his deep concern for the well-being of young users.
Mr Thorne said the ‘real problem’ is tech firms ‘making money’ off promoting harmful attitudes to women among young boys. Pictured is Owen Cooper as his character Jamie explodes with rage at his psychologist, Erin Doherty (Briony Ariston) on Netflix’s Adolescence
He added: ‘I think it should be the platform’s responsibility, as they’re making it in Australia, and I think that at the moment they are making money off it.
‘That is a real problem, that these people have found a way to market misogyny.’
In November, Australia’s parliament approved a law to ban children under 16 from using social media, with tech companies fined up to A$50m (£25.7m) for non-compliance.
Mr Thorne said later in the hearing: ‘For me legislation that protects our kids from the internet is a useful thing to do.
‘I wouldn’t be so bold as to say what that legislation should be, but I think it should be larger than the stuff currently under discussion, and I do think that what Australia is doing is very interesting.
‘And if they can pull it off I hope that other countries, particularly ourselves, would follow it.’
Mr Thorne described the internet as the ‘wild west’, adding: ‘There’s a destructive quality to the internet that we as older people are not aware of.’
He said he had ‘altered his algorithms’ to see what young boys were accessing on the internet, and found misogynistic content was being discussed on innocent-seeming forums about Minecraft.
Mr Thorne (pictured with Keir Starmer at a round table in March) was giving evidence to the Commons’ Women and Equalities Committee as part of their inquiry into misogyny among young boys
He said his research for Adolescence, which tackles themes of dark online influences, revealed how prevalent misogynistic culture is on the internet (pictured: Jack Thorne outside Number 10 after meeting the Prime Minister in March)
Under Ofcom’s new laws, companies will have to change the powerful algorithms that recommend videos – including pornography and material promoting suicide or eating disorders – to stop smartphone and computer users being sent down a rabbit hole of dangerous content.
They will also have to introduce ‘highly effective’ checks to block under-18s accessing age-restricted sites, but Ofcom stops short of banning children from social media.
Last month, Keir Starmer backed a move to make Adolescence free to all secondary schools to help teachers raise awareness of online harms.
