Sexist 'Manosphere' is 'as bad for the public as smoking and fast food'

Sexist 'Manosphere' is 'as bad for the public as smoking and fast food' Researchers say the Manosphere where women are seen as weak and only fit for childbirth, should be treated as a public health problem The Manosphere should be treated as a public health problem with regulations similar to smoking and fast food, a new report warns. People are making money online from causing outrage, as it is seen as 'good for business', the report claimed. Online platforms and companies were profiting from young men's anger and insecurities, the authors warned. Researchers looking into the Manosphere - which spreads misogynist ideas online, exposing many men and boys to negative images of girls and women - say it is harmful to your health and needs tougher regulations. On some forums they suggest women should obey, they are weak, belong in the kitchen and only capable of motherhood. Louis Theroux delved into this “dangerous” misogynist world for a documentary after hearing his own sons discussing controversial 'Manosphere' influencer Andrew Tate in 2022. Prosecutors in the UK have lodged a formal request for the extradition Andrew and his brother Tristan Tate from the US to face charges of rape and sex trafficking. The authors of a new report argue the Manosphere movement has contributed to many health harms including violence against women and girls, and mental health issues, as well as "delegitimising" the idea of boys and men seeking help. The Manosphere, the latest research says, is a money-making “loose collection” of online communities, “united by shared beliefs about masculinity, misogyny and male victimisation" which has contributed to health harms. The authors argued that tackling the Manosphere should involve a co-ordinated response by governments, schools, health services and community organisations. And they believe we should be “harnessing the power of algorithm”s to combat the Manosphere's damage and promote positive messaging instead. Professor Sarah Hawkes, report co-author and co-founder of Global 50/50 social justice think tank, said: "The Manosphere offers boys and young men belonging, identity and an explanation for why life feels hard. Those needs are real. A response that only removes the Manosphere, without offering something credible in its place, will fail. We need to offer boys something better, not just tell them what to avoid." Previous research found about 63 per cent of young men are thought to watch masculinity influencers with one in six boys aged six to 15 said to have a positive opinion of Andrew Tate. The Children Society also warned it could "escalate into physical and sexual violence against women and girls when their views become extremely distorted.” The authors of the latest report said outrage and grievance were "good for business" in this online environment. Boys and young men were targeted by those wanting to make money by exploiting their fears and vulnerabilities. Their report, published in The Lancet, state the Manosphere, the content creators and hosting platforms, use similar strategies as the "tobacco and ultra-processed food industries" putting the blame on the individual. "Men's problems are framed as the result of feminism rather than structural conditions, and masculine identity is commodified through products and paid content that normalise and reinforce health-harming and performance-oriented masculinities," the report states. "Efforts to regulate or moderate content are frequently framed as threats to men's autonomy, restricting political space for intervention." It said factors such boys and young men being pushed to the edge of the education system and isolation in boys and young men must be addressed. It said a boost to employment is needed, along with providing skills to improve access to jobs, re-engaging boys in education and improve access to mental health and other frontline health services for this age group. Regulation, the report goes on, says they should focus on the online platforms rather than the users - similar to bans on tobacco advertisements directed at children, rather than criminalising smokers. The authors argued the Manosphere "is best understood and addressed as a public health problem" and that regulation should include "strengthening existing content moderation to restrict harmful environments and harnessing the power of algorithms to promote positive messaging and norms alongside regulation of the structural features that sustain harm". Professor Sarah Hawkes, report co-author and co-founder of Global 50/50 social justice think tank, said: "The Manosphere offers boys and young men belonging, identity and an explanation for why life feels hard. "Those needs are real. A response that only removes the Manosphere, without offering something credible in its place, will fail. We need to offer boys something better, not just tell them what to avoid." Fellow co-author, Professor Kent Buse, affiliated with the Department of Global Population Health at Monash University Malaysia, argued boys and men are not the problem, but rather the business model set up to target them. He said: "This is a business model, not a fringe. Outrage and grievance are good for business, so the system rewards the most extreme content. "Expect the playbook that served tobacco so well: blame the individual, and call regulation an attack on freedom. Public health has a tested toolkit for commercial harms and we should use it. "Boys and men are not the problem. The problem is the conditions that leave them isolated and without a secure future, and the companies that profit from their anger and insecurity." The report concluded: "The harms to boys and men, to women and girls, and to wider society, provide a clear basis for action. Reducing these harms requires addressing the societal and economic conditions, commercial structures, and social norms that sustain the appeal of the Manosphere. "This is a political, legal, economic, and social challenge demanding co-ordinated, sustained action on multiple fronts - a public health framing can unlock such an approach."