Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

Yesterday, PPTA members —secondary school teachers— voted to make addressing online extremism an official policy, and are now pushing for Government action.   Teachers say they are seeing more misogyny from young boys, as well as xenophobia and anti-Māori rhetoric – and I believe them. Sit down with your teenager and ask them about Andrew Tate, Trump, trad wives —which were some of the complaints— and they’re all over it. And yes, it is driven by social media, algorithms, and their peers. So, I do understand their concerns.   But it’s not for the Government to fix.   I’ll get to the teachers in a minute, but this is primarily an issue for parents.   It’s parents who are responsible for setting the tone when it comes to their children’s beliefs and values. And as they grow and almost inevitably push back against their parents and their ideas while they develop their own, it’s also on the parents to listen and, without judgement, encourage open discussion.    As parents we need to