UK's top cop warns online misogyny fuelling rise of teen-on-teen sex offences

UK's top cop warns online misogyny fuelling rise of teen-on-teen sex offences Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley warned teenage boys are 'swimming around in' violent masculinity content online - and this is affecting their behaviour with girls Toxic masculinity on social media is fuelling a rise of teen-on-teen sex offences, the head of the Met Police has warned. Campaigners have welcomed the remarks by Sir Mark Rowley, who said he believes violent content online is affecting young boys' behaviour towards girls. Sir Mark, the UK's most senior police officer, he called for more work to tackle the chilling trend. It comes as ministers weigh up measures to keep kids safe online, with an Australia-style ban on under-16s using social media expected to be introduced within days. Sir Mark told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme: "Our biggest increase in sex offending that we're wrestling with is teen-on-teen. "That must be largely because the sort of toxic, violent masculinity ideology is online that some teenage boys are swimming around in, in their online presence, that's affecting their behaviour with girls. And we're picking up the pieces of that. "Now policing, putting more and more of these people in prison - we'll do that if we have to. But that can't be the right solution, can it? The solution has to be further upstream in terms of how the internet operates and the controls there and also education that protects them. It's just another example of what we're wrestling with." In March the Youth Justice Board (YJB) for England and Wales reported that proven sexual offences by children rose by 47% in 2023–24, and a further 6% in the last year. Around 1,500 proven cases were recorded in the year to March 2025. Its research found that algorithm-driven content online can amplify misogynistic attitudes and normalise harmful behaviours among children. The document said more than one in four children (27%) report seeing threats or images of sexual assault online. And a third said they had seen content encouraging violence against women and girls. And children first view pornography online at the age of 13. Such exposure can negatively shape attitudes to consent and expectations in relationships, the YJB said. Rebecca Hitchen, head of policy and campaigns at the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), told The Mirror: “We welcome this acknowledgement of the deeply harmful ways violent misogyny online is shaping boys and young men’s attitudes and behaviours, with women and girls bearing the brunt of violence, abuse and harassment in their everyday lives. "While we need investment in prevention work across the whole of society and regulation of Big Tech, this doesn’t mean the police can avoid scrutiny of the very real ways they fail women and girls who come forward to report abuse, including online abuse.” And Penny East, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, which campaigns for gender equality and women's rights, told The Mirror: "Sir Mark Rowely is absolutely correct that misogyny is on the rise online, with young men being fed a daily diet of violent pornography. It is not surprising that if we allow young people to access such content, that is affects behaviour and decisions. "Research shows that young men have more problematic attitudes towards women than older generations. In many ways, things are going backwards. "The criminal justice system must hold perpetrators accountable. Rape and sexual violence ruins lives. Of course, what we all want is fewer crimes being committed in the first place. And we need a government that is strong enough to stand up to the tech giants and provide more investment in education and community provision that tackles the rise in misogyny as the root cause. It cannot be up to small charities struggling for funds to tackle this national epidemic of misogyny." Technology Secretary Liz Kendall will next week introduce an update to the Online Safety Act to require services to remove illegal content as soon as possible. No specific timeframe will be set for the removal of harmful posts, but officials expect it to be removed immediately. If providers fail to stick to the new rules, they could be fined up to 10% of their global turnover or have their services blocked in the UK.