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Nearly a third of young boys believe men have more of a right to a job than women, a new study reveals.

Researchers have discovered that teenagers as young as 13 are showing alarming signs of misogyny and displaying hostile attitudes towards women and girls.

As part of a study, they surveyed 1,100 young people in Australia and compared their views on gender equality to those of 2,300 adults.

They found 31.8 per cent believed attempts to give equal opportunities to women have gone too far, and 30.1 per cent think men have more of a right to jobs when opportunities are limited.

Meanwhile nearly a quarter believed feminism is damaging to our society – and should be resisted with violence if necessary.

Experts said a rise in 'manosphere' content, such as videos made by influencer Andrew Tate, is partly to blame.

And they warned social media feeds and algorithms have become 'fertile ground' for promoting violence.

'What's perhaps most worrying is that this isn't a story about adults radicalized in the dark corners of the internet,' study author Dr Sara Meger, from the University of Melbourne, said. 'In our survey, teenage boys were the most likely to express misogynistic attitudes, mistrust of women and a belief in rigid traditional gender roles.'

It follows the widespread impact of Netflix's drama series Adolescence, which told the story of a 13–year–old boy who brutally murders his classmate (Pictured)

The study found misogynistic attitudes were strongly linked to the online content young people were consuming.

'Engagement with "manosphere" content, pornography and online dating showed the strongest links to misogynistic views,' Dr Meger said.

Teachers who were surveyed reported students quoting influencers such as Andrew Tate and repeating 'manosphere' language in class to justify refusing instructions from female staff while complying with identical instructions from male colleagues.

This behaviour was reported among children as young as six.

'This study shows that the problems with misogyny are structural, not individual,' Dr Meger explained.

Teenage girls weren't immune from the widespread effects of misogyny, the study also showed.

Researchers found that younger girls were more likely than older generations to agree to ideas of male sexual entitlement.

Gen Z women, aged 14 to 29, were twice as likely as Millennial women, aged 30 to 45, to agree that marriage entitles a husband to sex with his wife, even if she does not want to.

Experts said a rise in 'manosphere' content, such as videos made by influencer Andrew Tate (right), are partly to blame

In his documentary, Louis Theroux explores how extremist influencers are manipulating young boys with their ideas surrounding masculinity, interviewing the likes of Harrison Sullivan (HSTikkyTokky) [Pictured left)

The findings follow the widespread impact of Netflix's drama series Adolescence, which told the story of a 13–year–old boy who brutally murders his classmate.

It also comes as Louis Theroux's Inside The Manosphere documentary has left parents 'terrified' by the 'toxic behaviour and extremist views' of the world of alpha male influencers.

The show explores how extremist influencers are manipulating young boys with their ideas surrounding masculinity and gender roles. These 'ambassadors' claim to be the figureheads of a rebellion against feminism and modern society.

Chanel Contos, CEO of Teach Us Consent, said the findings highlighted the impact of harmful online content on young people.

'This research reflects what we see through our work with young people,' she said.

'Our social media feeds and algorithms have become fertile ground for content that promotes violence against women and girls, and we're seeing the consequences unfold in schools and communities across the country.'

Earlier this year a poll of 500 teenage boys aged 11–14 in the UK revealed 73 per cent have seen misogynistic or harmful content online – on average within 18 minutes of logging on.

The poll reveals that the proportion of young boys exposed to this content has risen from 69 per cent two years ago, demonstrating how algorithms are targeting them with an increasing stream of negativity.

Experts said over time, this content gradually desensitises them to the harmful views they're witnessing.

Commenting on the new study, Patty Kinnersly, CEO of Our Watch, said the findings reinforced the need for earlier prevention.

'This study adds to the growing evidence that misogynistic attitudes are linked to real–world violence and harm,' she said.

'The good news is these attitudes are not inevitable, and we know what helps prevent them from taking hold. Given these attitudes can form during adolescence, prevention has to start earlier.'