"I've experienced some of them first-hand. Between the ages of 12 and 14, I was drawn into harmful online communities promising me money, meaning and manhood. Muscular, wealthy men, parading through Dubai draped in designer labels and flanked by beautiful women flooded my feed. They said there was no excuse for the rest of us not to be in their position too, and offered what"
"Misogyny was rife in these communities, as was political extremism. I want these issues to be called out and I'm glad they're being actively discussed in the media. In fact, reading nuanced discussion in the press which confronted these spaces' problematic aspects helped me escape the handcuffs binding me to these role models. It made me consider how they were profiting from polarisation and insecurity."
"Yet I strongly believe we need to reframe how we talk about these issues: not as innately evil flaws in the young male demographic, but as an expression of uncertainty. Last week, I was sitting on the bus home from school, avoiding my mock GCSE revision by scrolling through TikTok (in fairness, short-form content is slightly more engaging than Macbeth quotation flashcards). A video appeared on my feed surrounding a"
Modern boyhood is often portrayed as radicalised, misogynistic, and angry, but many young men feel misunderstood and seek to make sense of an apathetic world. Some boys aged 12 to 14 are drawn into harmful online communities promising money, meaning, and manhood, featuring muscular, wealthy lifestyles alongside misogyny and political extremism. Nuanced media coverage can help young people disengage by exposing how such figures profit from polarisation and insecurity. Problematic behaviors among young men can be framed as expressions of uncertainty rather than inherent evil. Online debates frequently invoke the term "toxic masculinity" to describe pressures on boys.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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