Latest Report - Understanding Children’s Knowledge of Misogyny, Harmful Behaviour, and Online Influence

Executive Summary

The UK Government’s refreshed Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy places renewed emphasis on prevention through education, particularly in relation to misogyny, online abuse, consent and harmful sexual behaviour among children and young people. This report responds directly to that agenda by examining what children know, do not know, and misunderstand about these issues, using evidence from over five million learner assessments completed via ProjectEVOLVE.

Using ProjectEVOLVE’s Knowledge Maps, mapped against an adapted Burch competence model, the analysis examines pupil understanding across Key Stages 2–4 in areas most closely aligned with misogyny prevention, including gender stereotypes, language and harassment, online influence, image sharing, and relationship behaviours.

Key findings:

 1. Competence declines with age: Across all misogyny related statements, the proportion of pupils demonstrating strong, transferable understanding (levels 4–5) decreases from KS2 to KS4, while the proportion at unconscious incompetence (level 1) increases.

2. Misconceptions become entrenched: Older pupils are more likely to be confident but wrong, particularly in relation to gender norms, online influence, and recognising harmful situations.

3. Secondary pupils often demonstrate surface awareness without applied understanding: Large proportions of KS3 and KS4 pupils remain at level 3 (generic competence), suggesting difficulty applying learning to real world contexts.

4. There is a widening competence gap in secondary phases: Highly competent pupils sit alongside a sizeable vulnerable cohort, increasing safeguarding risk.

These findings support the VAWG strategy’s focus on early intervention and strengthened education, while also highlighting the need for assessment-informed, developmentally sequenced teaching that explicitly challenges misconceptions rather than assuming progression.

1. Introduction and policy context

 In December 2025, the UK Government announced further measures under its Violence Against Women and Girls strategy to better protect children from misogyny and abuse. Central to this approach is the role of education in:

1. Challenging misogynistic attitudes and harmful social norms
2. Strengthening understanding of consent and respectful relationships
3. Supporting earlier identification of harmful or abusive behaviours

 While policy intent is clear, effective prevention depends on an accurate understanding of what children already know, where their understanding is partial, and where misconceptions persist.

This report draws on large-scale assessment evidence from ProjectEVOLVE to provide that insight, offering a data-driven contribution to national discussions on curriculum, safeguarding and prevention.

2. Methodology

2.1 ProjectEVOLVE Knowledge Maps

 ProjectEVOLVE assessments are structured around Knowledge Maps that deconstruct complex online safety and safeguarding concepts into assessable statements. For this analysis, statements most relevant to misogyny and VAWG prevention were identified, including:

1. Gender stereotypes and social norms
2. Language, banter and harassment
3. Online manipulation and persuasion
4. Making and sharing intimate images
5. Recognising and responding to harmful situations
6. Healthy and unhealthy relationships

 Responses were aggregated by educational phase (KS2, KS3, KS4).

 2.2 Competence framework (1–5)

Each response is categorised using an adapted Burch competence model:

1. Unconscious incompetence – confident but incorrect understanding
2. Conscious incompetence – awareness of limited understanding
3. Conscious competence – generic or surface-level understanding
4. Unconscious competence – secure application in familiar contexts
5. Reflective unconscious competence – deep, transferable understanding

 This framework is particularly valuable in safeguarding contexts, as level 1 represents the highest risk: pupils may act on misconceptions while believing their understanding to be secure.

 2.3 Data caveat

Response volumes for KS3 and KS4 are lower than for KS2. However, the consistency of trends across multiple aspects supports robust interpretation, particularly when aligned with national concerns about adolescent online harm.

3. Findings by thematic aspect

3.1 Gender stereotypes and social norms

Understanding how stereotypes and expectations shape behaviour is foundational to preventing misogyny.

1. KS2: Most pupils demonstrate developing understanding, with responses clustered at levels 3–4. Pupils recognise stereotypes but often lack depth in explaining how online environments reinforce them.
2. KS4: Almost one third of responses sit at level 1 for statements relating to social norms and identity online. This indicates a significant cohort of pupils who confidently normalise restrictive or harmful gender expectations.

Interpretation:

As pupils age, misconceptions about gender norms become more entrenched rather than resolved. This creates vulnerability to misogynistic narratives that frame inequality as natural or inevitable.

3.2 Language, “banter” and harassment

Normalisation of harmful language is a well established pathway into misogynistic behaviour.

1. KS2: While overall competence is relatively strong, over 10% of pupils demonstrate level 1 responses when assessing the impact of “banter”, suggesting early minimisation of harm.

2. KS3–KS4: Understanding plateaus, with many pupils remaining at level 3 and a growing minority at level 1, indicating confident underestimation of harm caused by verbal harassment.

Interpretation:

Without explicit challenge, early attitudes towards “joking” language can persist into adolescence, undermining later work on respect and consent.

3.3 Online influence and manipulation

Online misogyny is frequently disseminated through persuasive content, influencers and algorithmic amplification.

1. KS3: Over half of responses relating to online influence sit at level 3, with relatively few pupils demonstrating reflective competence.
2. KS4: A sharp divide emerges, with a substantial group at level 1 alongside a smaller highly competent cohort.

Interpretation:

Many pupils lack the critical literacy needed to recognise manipulative or ideologically driven content, despite increased exposure in secondary years.

3.4 Making and sharing intimate images

This aspect aligns closely with VAWG strategy concerns around consent and image based abuse.

1. KS3: Responses cluster heavily at level 3, indicating rule based understanding without nuanced application.
2. KS4: While competence improves for some pupils, a persistent minority remain at level 1, reflecting misconceptions around responsibility, permanence and control.

Interpretation:

Headline awareness does not equate to protective understanding. Misconceptions at this stage present significant safeguarding risk.

3.5 Recognising and responding to harmful situations

Effective prevention depends on pupils being able to identify harm and act appropriately.

1. KS3: Over 15% of pupils demonstrate level 1 responses when identifying harmful online situations, indicating misplaced confidence.
2. KS4: Most pupils remain at level 3 for strategies to deal with extreme bullying or harassment, with limited progression to applied competence.

Interpretation:

Many pupils can describe harm but struggle to select or apply effective responses, limiting the protective value of their knowledge.

 3.6 Healthy and unhealthy relationships

 Understanding of relationship behaviours strengthens with age but remains uneven.

1. KS4: Approximately half of pupils demonstrate reflective competence in identifying healthy and unhealthy relationships.
2. However, over 13% remain at level 1, suggesting ongoing misunderstanding of coercive or controlling behaviours.

Interpretation:

Even where average competence is strong, the presence of confident misconceptions requires targeted intervention.

 4. Cross phase analysis

 Across all aspects, three patterns are consistent:

 1. Increasing unconscious incompetence with age

Older pupils are more likely to be confidently wrong, particularly in complex, socially embedded issues.

2. Stagnation at surface competence
Many pupils remain at level 3 throughout secondary education.

3. Widening competence gaps
Secondary phases show polarisation between highly competent pupils and those with entrenched misconceptions.

These patterns challenge assumptions of linear progression and highlight the importance of ongoing, assessed learning.

5. Implications for the VAWG strategy and education practice

The findings strongly support the Government’s prevention focus, while offering additional insight:

1. Assessment informed teaching is essential: Without identifying misconceptions, teaching risks reinforcing confidence without competence.
2. Secondary provision requires greater emphasis on application and transfer: Scenario based learning, critical discussion and reflection are key.
3. Misogyny should be addressed as a systemic issue: Language, stereotypes, influence and relationships must be taught as interconnected concepts.

 6. Conclusion

This report demonstrates the value of large scale assessment data in informing national prevention strategies. While many children and young people demonstrate secure understanding of respectful behaviour, a significant and growing minority do not, particularly as social and online contexts become more complex.

ProjectEVOLVE evidence reinforces the VAWG strategy’s educational aims, while underlining the need for explicit, developmentally sequenced and assessment led approaches to addressing misogyny and harmful behaviour. Without this, confident misconceptions risk becoming entrenched, undermining both safeguarding and long term cultural change.