The harm caused to boys and men, women and girls and wider society includes social isolation, reluctance to seek mental health care and gender-based violence. Reducing these risks requires tackling the societal and economic conditions, commercial structures and social norms that sustain the manosphere’s appeal.
This could include tackling economic insecurity through employment and social protection policies, encouraging boys to re-engage with education, and improving access to mental health support and other essential services for boys and young men.
Therefore, the report argues that content moderation alone is insufficient: restricting manosphere content does nothing to address the unmet needs that make its explanations attractive in the first place.
“We need to offer boys something better, not just tell them what to avoid,” Hawkes said.
The report also highlights broader challenges facing boys and men. Boys are increasingly disengaging from education systems, while men are over-represented in suicide statistics and incarceration rates.
