More than three-quarters of young pupils in the UK have heard homophobic language at school, new research has revealed. 

In conjunction with VotesforSchools, LGBT+ young people’s charity Just Like Ussurveyed 31,875 pupils, including 4,307 aged between nine and 11 at primary schools.

The survey, held in June, found that the 78 per cent of primary-school children had heard homophobic language at school. That figure increased to 80 per cent for secondary school pupils, aged 11 to 18. 

Among the primary-school children, some noted that the homophobic language was intended as a “joke”. One said: “We mainly hear people call each other ‘gay’ as an insult or a joke. This is because we see it trending on TikTok.” 

LGBTQ+ dad Matt said his son had been pressured into playing a TikTok game where if you guessed wrong you would be called gay. The boy refused to play, saying it was “hurtful” to use the word as an insult. 

A pupil in a Glasgow primary school said: “Because I’m a boy and have long hair, I have been called gay as an insult.” 

Now, Just Like Us has launched resources for schools in a bid to tackle homophobia in classrooms. 

‘Real-life consequences’

Laura Mackay, the charity’s chief executive, called the findings of the survey “deeply concerning”, adding: “Homophobic language should never be dismissed as ‘just a joke’ because we know it has real-life consequences, impacting the self-esteem and feelings of shame among LGBT+ young people and those from same-sex families.

“We are worried about young people reporting a rise in games aimed at children on TikTok where gay is being used as a derogatory insult.” 

Last year, a gay teacher shared his concerns after witnessing more overt examples of hatred, spurred on by anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric in the media. 

Another gay educator spoke out about students learning misogyny and anti-LGBTQ+ hate from the internet, with one name being repeated by his students: Andrew Tate, the influencer who facing trial in Romania where he has been charged with rape, human trafficking and forming an organised crime group to sexually exploit women.