A growing body of research shows that young men are finding it increasingly tough to find their place in the world and build confidence to navigate the pressures and expectations of modern society.
In recent years, experts have warned that many young men are turning to influencers such as Andrew Tate, Harrison Sullivan and Justin Waller, who have been described as misogynistic, sexist and ‘toxic’.
In 2023, academics from Monash University published a study on how Tate’s influence has infiltrated Australian schools, and the impact it has been having on young people. The study described a sharp increase in sexism, misogyny and sexual harassment in classrooms, and also identified the explicit influence of Tate on students’ attitudes and behaviours.
One year later, the Victorian State Government announced a plan to provide schools with an updated Respectful Relationships program to assist students in safely navigating issues such as consent, sextortion, pornography and gender-based bullying.
A new chapter
Last week, the Victorian Government announced a new Minister for Men and Boys – a national first that aims to improve mental health supports for men and boys and address the rising the influence of online misogynistic cultures, including the ‘Manosphere’.
The Manosphere, the subject of a popular Netflix documentary by Louis Theroux, refers to online communities that promote aggressive, traditional masculinity, often overlapping with misogyny and anti-feminist views. In recent years, it has become a growing problem for schools that have seen an uptick in disrespectful behaviours from male students towards girls and young women.
“The creation of this portfolio is a clear and necessary acknowledgement of the growing influence of the manosphere on the attitudes and behaviours of boys and young men in Victoria,” Dr Stephanie Wescott, School of Education, Culture & Society, Monash University Faculty of Education, said in a recent article published in The Conversation.
“The harms to girls and women are already being experienced in our schools and communities. This move signals that the Allan Government recognises the urgency of the issue and is prepared to take it seriously.”
“It also invites cautious hope that this recognition will translate into sustained, evidence-informed action that meaningfully addresses the drivers of misogyny and supports safer futures for all young people.”
Dr Naomi Pfitzner, Director of the Monash Gender and Family Violence Prevention Hub, said gender-based violence requires “urgent action”.
“We continue to see the devastating impacts in our community, where lives are lost on a nearly weekly basis. This new portfolio provides an opportunity to take evidence-based action that equips boys and young men to build resilience against harmful manosphere narratives,” she said.
“If the Victorian Government wants all children and young people to live lives free from violence, we must challenge and disrupt traditional gender roles and stereotypes at every age.”
Parent-child relationships are key
eSafety research shows a positive relationship between parental engagement and young people’s willingness to talk about negative online experiences.
Nearly all (95%) of children who said their parents regularly encourage open conversations about online safety would speak to them if something online made them feel upset, uncomfortable or ashamed
To help parents and carers understand the appeal and impact of the manosphere, eSafety recently published an Online Safety Advisory explaining what it is and what families need to know.
“We want parents and carers to be aware, informed and engaged, not alarmed,” eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said. “Overwhelmingly, boys and young men are critical, savvy and resilient online users, but these negative gendered narratives are seeping into mainstream platforms and conversations.”
Inman Grant stressed the importance of broadening the influences shaping boys’ identities.
“As highlighted throughout eSafety’s Young Men Online research series, we need to keep providing boys and young men with lots of healthy and diverse role models to look up to, whether that be in the extended family, school, sports clubs or community groups.”
Actively cultivating critical thinking is also a must, said Inman Grant.
“The most lauded of these influencers are financially exploiting the vulnerabilities of some young men, either through advertising revenue or product placements on their well-subscribed platforms,” she said.
“We need to support boys to spot exploitative patterns, while also educating them how algorithms and recommender systems are usually designed to promote controversy and outrage – a term I refer to as, ‘outragement’.”
eSafety’s advisory encourages parents and carers to:
- ask open questions rather than shutting conversations down
- take an interest in where their children spend time online encourage them to question and critically assess online content
- talk early and often about respectful relationships, including consent
- encourage positive role models in their children’s offline lives
- reassure boys and young men that seeking help and talking about mental health is a sign of strength.