Young men think Knox group chat is 'not that bad'

How worried should we about this young generation of boys?

How worried should we about this new generation of boys?

This article discusses sexual violence and graphic themes.

“Those Knox kids are rookies”

“Wait till they see the other schools group chats”

“I hope mine never gets leaked, mines easily way worse than theirs”

Those are just some of the “highly worrying” comments young Australian men are writing online, following the publication of “vile” messages from a Sydney all-boys private school group chat.

The original chat, from students at Knox Grammar School, included messages saying “why was I not invited to the gang rape party” and “If I get a girl pregnant and I wore a condom I’m f***ing reaching my hand in her stomach”. 

Despite consent education being embedded in school curriculum, and a growing societal awareness of what constitutes sexual violence, Edith Cowan University psychology lecturer Shane Rogers said the support shown for the group chats by other young boys was “unsurprising”. 

“Unlike in the past there are now digital group chats for these young impressionable boys where they can create their own subcultures with other like-minded boys who egg them on,” he said. 

“Once you engage in this material, you can keep being fed more of the material. It amplifies those nasty ideas and builds a community that believes them.” 

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Rogers pointed to infamous internet personality Andrew Tate, who last month was permanently banned from Meta and TikTok for his controversial views on women. 

“Men (like Tate) are tapping into existing sentiments in young boys and advertising what it is to be a ‘blokey bloke’ which often looks like disrespecting women,” he said. 

“They may feel hard done-by, and in these communities they can say the un-PC things that may have gone out of fashion.” 

FullStop Australia CEO Hayley Foster agreed, saying one of the key drivers for sexual violence is "toxic male to male peer relations" that foster "an environment of oneupmanship". 

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They thought they were bad…. #fyp

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"They feel a huge amount of pressure to conform to those hyper masculine ideas because they themselves are fearful that the violence and bullying will turn on them," she said.

Foster said all schools should have a dedicated Respectful Relationships Educator that young men feel they can speak to about their concerns or issues. 

"Not everyone has a family they can speak to about these things, and so we need experts delivering content and education," she said. "Otherwise boys rely on online content (like porn) or advice from their peers."