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Fathers are becoming increasingly protective of their daughters because they fear the influence of social networking sites, a survey suggested yesterday.

They ‘feel less in control because of social media’ such as Facebook and Twitter, according to a poll of head teachers at leading girls’ schools.

Fathers are also concerned about the growing influence on their daughters of celebrity culture, with some ‘perceiving the world as a more dangerous place’.

The trend emerged in a poll by the Girls’ Schools Association, which  represents fee-paying schools. 

Ahead of Father’s Day on Sunday, the organisation surveyed 180 members on fathers’ roles in their daughters’ education.

Parents are said to be enrolling girls in private schools at an increasingly young age to protect them from a growing ‘WAG culture’ that scorns academic achievement.

 

According to the poll, 49 per cent of head teachers believe fathers are more protective of their daughters than they used to be, mainly because of fears over social media.

Just 5 per cent said fathers were less protective these days, with the remainder detecting no clear trend.

The poll also suggested that increasing numbers of fathers are ‘house dads’, with mothers being the main earners.

Heads felt fathers and mothers took a broadly equal interest in their daughters’ education, but fathers were more likely to contact schools ‘if they feel their daughter is being unfairly treated’.

GSA member Alun Jones, principal of St Gabriel’s girls’ school in Newbury, said the poll suggested fathers took an ‘active and equal’ interest in their academic progress.

He said: ‘Fathers have legitimate concerns about protecting their daughters in a world where young girls – and boys – are subject to all kinds of pressures through the media.

Daily Mail