Sir Keir Starmer has warned boys are getting sucked into a world of “toxic masculinity” online as he announced an expansion of youth services aimed at cutting screen time for children.
The Prime Minister said the £88 million funding package for extracurricular activities like music lessons and climbing walls would help offer young people an alternative to engaging with “damaging” content on social media.
He criticised Nigel Farage for previously describing misogynist influencer Andrew Tate as “an important voice” for young men, saying the Reform UK leader was on the “wrong side of where most families are”.
Wednesday’s announcement will see some £22.5 million over three years used to fund access in 400 schools across the country to extra-curricular activities such as sport, art and music, outdoor activities, debating or volunteering.
Groups like the Scouts and Guides will receive £7.5 million to help offer more places in local communities while £30.5 million will go to improving youth club infrastructure in areas with the highest levels of child poverty.
The expansion is part of wider efforts to stem a “worrying” trend of children becoming “detached from the real world”, Downing Street said.
Speaking on a visit to Milton Keynes on Wednesday, Sir Keir said young people were spending “much too much time on social media” and “isolated in their bedrooms,” with boys in particular exposed to unhealthy narratives online.
He told Channel 5 News: “Not enough has been invested in after schools, in my view, for a long time. That means that isn’t actually an alternative for many children.
“So they get sucked into this world and it could be very damaging… boys in particular sort of drawn into, there’s a lot of sort of male toxic masculinity if you like, the boys get attracted to, get sucked into.”
Asked for his view on Mr Farage’s remarks, which were made before the election last year, he said he disagreed, and felt a duty “as a Prime Minister” and “as a dad” to call out the likes of Tate.
“Whether it’s Andrew Tate or others, it’s very often that combination, something which is attractive to boys, which is, you know, becoming a strong, successful, wealthy man,” he said.
“If you’re a teenage boy, that’s an attractive thing to get drawn into. You can understand that, but then locked in and alongside it, (is) misogyny. And we need to be really clear and I think it’s very important as a Prime Minister, as a dad, that I call this out.
“And I just think Nigel Farage is completely wrong and think he’s on the wrong side of where most families are because they don’t want their boys being drawn into this world, which is not going to be good for them, not going to be good for their future relationships and won’t be good for girls and young women either.”
Since becoming an MP, Mr Farage has said he is “not a fan” of Tate but called for “a nuanced debate about why Tate has got 10 million followers”.
“I think it’s rather important that we do, and yet, when I try and raise these things, I’m shouted down as if I’m his right-hand man,” he said at a press conference in March.
Elsewhere on the visit, former flautist Sir Keir highlighted the benefits to children of learning music, saying it could help young people develop the ability to work in a team, build confidence and learn inter-personal skills.
“Music is a big part of my life. I enjoy it hugely, but not enough children have the opportunity to play music, to listen to music and that’s why here in Milton Keynes, this is a school holiday activity, and they’re playing instruments, electrical keyboards, and for some of them, it’ll be the first time that they’ve ever done anything like that,” he said in an interview with Classic FM.
“That is really important, because as everybody who’s ever done music will know, you’ve got to work in a team, you have to play your notes, or your instrument at the right time, you’ll have eye contact. Those are skills that go way beyond music.
“I don’t know how many businesses say to me, Keir, we can do the technical skills they need for our business, but what we lack with young people is the eye contact, the confidence, the working in a team.”
Sir Keir said the expansion of youth services was part of wider efforts aimed at opening up opportunities to ensure “no child falls through the cracks” ahead of the publication of the Government’s national youth strategy this autumn.
Young people have been encouraged to contribute to development of the strategy in recent months through focus groups and surveys.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said local youth services were the “bedrock of thriving communities” and that “today’s announcement is just the beginning” ahead of its launch in the autumn.
She said the Government is “putting young people at the heart of our mission-led government, ensuring they have the support and opportunities they deserve so that no one is left behind”.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award charity welcomed the funding package but urged ministers to go further in guaranteeing “enrichment opportunities” for every young person.
The chief operating officer at the charity, John Egan, said: “This multimillion-pound investment is about so much more than creating new opportunities for art, music and outdoor activities – it’s an investment in the resilience, confidence and future of young people.
“As a leading youth charity, we now urge the Government to go further and commit to a youth guarantee, to ensure that every young person has access to the enrichment opportunities that they need to thrive which can’t always be found in the classroom.”
Shadow culture secretary Nigel Huddleston said: “After scrapping the National Citizen Service which gave over a million young people valuable opportunities, any investment in youth services is welcome.
“However, young people need more than just skills – they need a growing economy that can offer jobs and opportunities in the future.
“Because of Labour’s economic mismanagement and tax rises businesses are closing, there are no jobs, and the economy is shrinking while inflation has doubled.
“Under Labour, the future of the next generation looks bleak.”
Liberal Democrat technology spokeswoman Victoria Collins MP said the Government should go further to tackle challenges online by banning social media firms from harvesting the data of children under the age of 16.
“Liberal Democrats have been calling for well-funded, welcoming spots where young people can socialise, explore hobbies and simply be children to tackle screen overuse that’s fuelling a public health crisis for our young people,” she said.
“Harmful algorithms are pushing thousands into dark corners of the internet, so the battle to keep our children safe from these threats must be a number one priority.
“As well as investing in youth services to ensure young people have safe spaces where they can be offline, they need to tackle this issue at its root – this includes by banning social media companies harvesting the data of under-16s immediately.”
