London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

Leering, jeering and ‘dick pics’: UK report finds sexual harassment ‘normalised’ in schools

Leering, jeering and ‘dick pics’: UK report finds sexual harassment ‘normalised’ in schools

A government report has found that nine out of 10 schoolgirls in the UK know someone who’s been subjected to sexist abuse. The report blames a “normalised” culture of sexual harassment, but technology also plays a role.

The report, released by the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) on Thursday, found that sexual harassment, including online sexual abuse, has become “normalised” for children and teenagers in the UK’s schools.

Ofsted inspectors visited 32 schools and spoke to 900 students in April, and found that nine out of 10 girls said sexist name-calling and being sent unwanted explicit pictures or videos happened “a lot” or “sometimes.” An equal number of girls and half the boys surveyed said that explicit pictures – “dick pics” – were sent to them or their classmates regularly.


Three-quarters of girls said that they were pressured to send naked images of themselves, with one telling inspectors that boys “just won’t take no for an answer.” Nearly six in 10 said they or their female classmates had been photographed without their consent, and over half said these photographs were then circulated without their knowledge. Boys also said they were on the receiving end of such behaviour, but to a lesser extent than girls.

Students subjected to this harassment often don’t report it to teachers and staff, the report found, citing concerns about police involvement, reputational damage or worries that their complaint would go nowhere. This behaviour is apparently so commonplace that inspectors advised school staff to “act on the assumption” that it’s happening in their schools, even if students aren’t speaking up.

“This is a cultural issue; it’s about attitudes and behaviours becoming normalised, and schools and colleges can’t solve that by themselves,” Chief Inspector Amanda Spielman said. She recommended that the government do more to tackle online bullying and abuse, and advised schools to “maintain the right culture in their corridors.”

Some of the behaviour highlighted in the report is age-old: leering, jeering, unwanted touching and “pressure to do sexual things.” The majority of girls said that these issues occurred “a lot” or “sometimes” in their schools. Even two decades ago, Ofsted noted that bullying in schools often had a sexual component, and girls were frequently subjected to “innuendo or outright abuse” in the classroom. Surveys taken more than a decade ago found that sexual harassment in schools was “routing and unquestioned.”

What has changed since the early 2000s is the prevalence of smartphones and messaging apps. The latest Ofsted report specifically highlighted WhatsApp and Snapchat as the platforms most commonly used for sharing explicit material. Studies from around the world have linked smartphones with bullying, and Snapchat in particular has been highlighted as a problem app by the British government.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×