We need to talk about the manosphere!

I wouldn’t wish adolescence on my worst enemy,’ my psychotherapy Course Director once said, and that phrase has always stayed with me. Adolescence is a crucial yet often bewildering time, no matter your gender.

The recent mini-series Adolescence has stirred a mix of reflection, debate, and, for some, resistance (what happened to the good ol' stiff upper lip?). While opinion pieces can be insightful, I'll approach this from a balanced research perspective. Why? Because as parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents, or caregivers, we have a vital role in helping young people navigate this challenging period with compassion and knowledge. Doing so could even have a positive ripple effect across generations. Sounds worthwhile, don’t you think? So, let’s explore:

• What is the manosphere, and why should I care?

• The psychological impact on boys and girls

• The more pernicious impacts of the manosphere

• Edge lords and ideology

• What draws young people to the manosphere?

• Interventions and treatment

• What about social media?

• How can we support our adolescents, and what does this have to do with The New School of Nutritional Medicine?

  
  

Source: Surrey Live News

What is the manosphere and why should I care?

The manosphere is a network of online communities promoting ideas tied to hegemonic masculinity, male supremacy, and anti-feminism. Quite a mouthful, right? Let's break it down.

Hegemonic masculinity refers to a social ideal that presents men as dominant, emotionally restricted, and powerful, and it can be incredibly harmful. The manosphere includes subcultures like Men's Rights Activists (MRAs), "Men Going Their Own Way" (MGTOW), and "Involuntary Celibates" (incels), all of which shape troubling narratives about gender dynamics.

Vallerga and Zurbriggen (2022) highlight how these groups often frame men as victims of social change, fostering resentment toward women and feminism. These narratives not only reinforce toxic masculinity but also risk harming young men's emotional well-being (Over et al., 2025).

The psychological impact on boys and girls

For boys, engagement with the manosphere can lead to the internalisation of misogynistic attitudes, discouraging vulnerability and reinforcing restrictive ideals about masculinity. This mindset may fuel anxiety, depression, and feelings of inadequacy (Lawson, 2023).

Girls, meanwhile, face heightened risks of devaluation and objectification. The manosphere's anti-feminist rhetoric can foster anxiety, low self-worth, and distorted perceptions of their social roles (Altiok, 2024). These dynamics erode healthy gender relationships and contribute to social tension.

Source: Foreign Policy

The more pernicious impacts of the manosphere

• Mental health implications: Young men influenced by the manosphere often experience worsened mental health outcomes. Konu et al. (2024) found that stigma around seeking help for mental health is particularly high among this group, which can heighten feelings of isolation.

• Association with violence: The "incel" subculture has been linked to violent incidents, including the tragic 2014 case of Elliot Rodger. Some manosphere spaces even glorify violence against women, further normalising harmful behaviour.

• Suicide risk: Although the manosphere discusses men's mental health, its focus on self-reliance and distrust of professional help may increase suicide risk among vulnerable members.

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What draws young people to the manosphere?

Several factors drive engagement with these ideologies:

• Masculinity pressures: Young men navigating social expectations may turn to the manosphere for identity validation.

• Online anonymity: Platforms that enable anonymous engagement often fuel radicalisation, as individuals feel emboldened to adopt extreme views without social repercussions (Mohseni & Chopite, 2022).

• Echo chambers: These groups reinforce their own ideologies, discouraging empathy and critical thinking.

Edgelords and ideology

This may seem outlandish, however, the concept of the "edge lord" aligns closely with themes found in the manosphere, particularly in how some individuals adopt provocative, extreme personas online. These figures often engage in shock tactics, promoting nihilistic and taboo ideologies like fascism or Nazism to offend and gain attention. This behaviour echoes the manosphere's tendency to reject social norms and embrace destructive worldviews.

Nihilism, especially passive nihilism, is highlighted as a core driver behind this mindset. Passive nihilists often become cynical and detached, fostering antisocial behaviours and toxic ideologies, a pattern seen in some manosphere figures. Conversely, active nihilism involves confronting meaninglessness constructively, turning that awareness into purpose-driven action.

What about social media?

Social media plays a critical role in amplifying the messages from the manosphere. It plays a critical role in amplifying every sphere for many adults, too. Its structure allows for the formation of echo chambers where users are continually exposed to biased information that reinforces their beliefs about masculinity and feminism (Ging & Murphy, 2021, Rafail & Freitas, 2019). For instance, platforms like Reddit and YouTube enable rampant sharing of misogynistic content, leading to an organised culture of “networked misogyny“ that not only excludes women but also perpetuates toxic masculinity through narratives of victimhood laden with grievance (Ging, 2017; Ging & Murphy, 2021)Wright et al., 2020).

The act of participating in these online discussions can lead to radicalisation and the adoption of extreme views, suggesting that social media engagement in these spaces can significantly alter a young (and not so young) person’s worldviews and increase their alignment with misogynistic ideologies (Habib et al., 2022). Social media algorithms often amplify manosphere content, making intervention even more crucial. Figures like Andrew Tate exemplify how influential online personalities can lure vulnerable youth into these ideologies (Haslop et al., 2024).

Interventions and treatment

So what can we do about this? Parents can play a pivotal role in mitigating the influence of the manosphere on their children. Addressing the manosphere's influence requires thoughtful intervention:

1. Critical media literacy: We can teach our young people to analyse media messages critically, question, and analyse the narratives presented within the manosphere, and this will help them challenge harmful narratives. This is a valuable skill not only for media but all relationships. As Jim Rohn, said a long time ago, ‘stand guard to the door of your mind.’

   
   

2. Positive masculinity: We understand there might not always be a male role model in the family dynamic. However, if there is one, what kind of role model is the young person experiencing from you as his parent(s)? Young people are super sponges and are less interested in what we say and far more interested in how we live our lives. Can we, as caregivers, offer values like empathy, cooperation, and vulnerability, engendering trust and love?

   
   

3. Open communication: Foster an environment where your child feels comfortable discussing their online experiences. Regular conversations can help you understand their digital interactions and address any exposure to harmful content. Furthermore, discussing the potential harms of traditional masculinity as perpetuated by these communities, such as promoting aggression and emotional suppression, can help challenge harmful stereotypes (Mingo & Díaz‐Fernández, 2022).

   
   

4. Monitor Online Activity: We recognise this is a sensitive subject, and caregivers can find themselves walking a tightrope to be firm and nurturing, despite loud protests, sulking or throwing of light and heavy objects.  While respecting privacy, it’s important to be aware of the platforms and communities your child engages with. It’s also crucial to utilise parental controls and discuss the reasons for their implementation. It is worth considering establishing guidelines for smartphone and social media usage. Some experts advocate for restricting smartphone access for younger teens to limit exposure to harmful content. Hindsight has its gems. Recently, I asked our 21-year-old son, how we could have been better parents. His immediate response was, ‘You should have been more strict’.

   
   

5. Community Support: Peer groups and mentorship programs can provide safe spaces for boys to explore positive masculinity. We all have heard, it takes a village to raise a child, and so this might mean getting beyond our own self-limiting beliefs and restrictions, spending less time looking at small rectangles, living in smaller and shrinking communities, and being prepared to invest in the richer, deeper relationships that spring from thriving, healthy local communities.

   
   

6. Therapeutic Support: Finally, getting counselling using modalities such as cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) can address distorted thinking patterns that reinforce toxic masculinity. Sometimes, we need to hold the mirror up and ask if we also need some psychological support to address unhealed wounds from our own childhoods that are invisible to us yet strikingly apparent to our family, friends and, importantly, our children.

   
   

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What’s this got to do with The New School of Nutritional Medicine?

We are all humans and may have the role of a parent/caregiver directly or indirectly to family members who are young people. In Year 1, we dedicate about fifty per cent of our teaching time to what we call inner coaching. We look at what is self awareness, relating to self, nurturing self-worth, managing stress and building resilience, boundaries, feelings and emotions, relating to others, self-care, and mindfulness. We do this, as our students cannot support others without having started the journey of inner work on themselves.

We want our students to embody self-compassion as this is foundational for self-worth and only from this compassion for others is possible.  With compassion, comes awareness, understanding and the ability to heal, and look deeply into other people’s lives, to support them on their journey to health.

It is too easy to conveniently pathologise these young men who may have lost their way, with brutal labels. That is not our intention. We intend to see the common humanity in all people, see the jewel of their potential, and with a healing hand, lift them and support them until they can stand on their own and support others.

Conclusion

Understanding the manosphere's impact is vital for supporting adolescents through this challenging period. By promoting compassion, positive role models, and open dialogue, we can help young people build healthier, more fulfilling identities, and ultimately foster a kinder, more inclusive society.

From the team at the New School Of Nutritional Medicine

Learn about the Founder & Principal of the New School of Nutritional Medicine, Dr Khush Mark PhD HERE.

References:

1. Altiok, R. (2024). Unveiling ken. M/C Journal, 27(3). https://doi.org/10.5204/mcj.3067

2. Ging, D. (2019). Alphas, betas, and incels: Theorizing the masculinities of the manosphere. Men and Masculinities, 22(4), pp.638-657.

3. Ging, D. and Murphy, S. (2021). Tracking the pilling pipeline: Limitations, challenges and a call for new methodological frameworks in incel and manosphere research. AoIR Selected Papers of Internet Research.

4. Habib, H., Srinivasan, P., and Nithyanand, R. (2022). Making a radical misogynist: How online social engagement with the manosphere influences traits of radicalization. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 6(CSCW2), pp.1-28.

5. Haslop, C., Ringrose, J., Cambazoglu, I., & Milne, B. (2024). Mainstreaming the Manosphere’s Misogyny Through Affective Homosocial Currencies: Exploring How Teen Boys Navigate the Andrew Tate Effect. Social Media + Society, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051241228811

6. Lawson, R. (2023). “Alphas get treated like bygone emperors and betas live lives of quiet desperation.” 120-166. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190081041.003.0006

7. Mohseni, M. and Chopite, J. (2022). Online incel speech (hate speech/incivility). Doca - Database of Variables for Content Analysis. https://doi.org/10.34778/5j

8. Over, H., Bunce, C., Konu, D., & Zendle, D. (2025). Editorial perspective: what do we need to know about the manosphere and young people's mental health? Child and Adolescent Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1111/camh.12747

9. Rafail, P. and Freitas, I. (2019). Grievance articulation and community reactions in the men’s rights movement online. Social Media + Society, 5(2), p.2056305119841387.

10. Vallerga, M. and Zurbriggen, E. (2022). Hegemonic masculinities in the ‘manosphere’: A thematic analysis of beliefs about men and women on the red pill and incel. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 22(2), 602-625. https://doi.org/10.1111/asap.12308