Adolescence at Risk: Online Misogyny, Mental Health, and the Urgent Need for Action

Inspired by real cases, the series Adolescence follows a 13-year-old boy arrested for killing a female classmate and explores the impact of online misogyny on young people, sparking social and political debate. In the UK, nearly 70% of boys aged 11–14 have encountered misogynistic content online (Vodafone, 2024). However, academic research into the drivers and risks behind the popularisation of such content among adolescents remains limited.

What is Online Misogyny?

Online misogyny refers to content and behaviour found online that promotes hatred, abuse, or harmful sexual behaviour towards women and girls (Ofcom, 2025). It is widespread in digital spaces, particularly within the ‘manosphere’, a heterogeneous network of communities across social media, blogs, forums, and channels, which attract thousands of users (Ging D., 2017; Horta Ribeiro M. et al, 2021).

Manosphere communities are characterised by rigid beliefs, distinct lexicons and recruitment mechanisms. They propagate misogynistic rhetoric, externalisation of blame, biological determinism and gender essentialism, often based on misinformation. Their gender views are stereotypical and traditional, with masculinity defined by strength, sexual prowess and wealth, while women are depicted as promiscuous, irrational, materialistic, manipulative and seeking to date or marry a partner of higher social status (Ging D., 2017; Maxwell D. et al, 2020; Over H. et al, 2025a; Regehr K. et al, 2024; Solea A.I. & Sugiura L., 2023; Vallerga M. & Zurbriggen E.L., 2022).

Manosphere communities originated primarily in the United States and Canada and are predominantly driven by men. Some fractions within these communities have been linked to the alt-right, white nationalist movements, and other forms of hate, including racism and anti-LGBT+ discrimination (Aiolfi I. et al, 2024; Over H. et al, 2025a; Speckhard A. & Ellenberg M., 2022). Although these communities seem to be particularly prevalent in North America and Western Europe, online misogyny exists across a large range of communities and countries, representing a global risk (Procope Bell D., 2023; Speckhard A. & Ellenberg M., 2022; Sun L. & Dai L., 2024; Uzun B. & Tiryaki S., 2024). Female-led communities also exist, including the Tradwife movement, which promotes anti-feminist ideologies and rigid gender roles, romanticising domesticity through curated aesthetics (Stotzer R.L. & Nelson A., 2025). 

How Do Adolescent Boys Engage with the Manosphere? 

Both adolescent boys and girls spend many hours online each day. However, there are gender differences in the content they consume, the apps used, and how they use them (Boniel-Nissim M. et al, 2024; Ofcom, 2023). In the UK, boys spend more time than girls on platforms like Reddit and YouTube, where content moderation is weak and manosphere ideology is prevalent (Horta Ribeiro M. et al, 2021; Ofcom, 2023, 2024; Park J.S. et al, 2022; Yesilada M. & Lewandowsky, S., 2022). Boys are also more likely to falsify their age as 18 or over, increasing their exposure to harmful content (Ofcom, 2024). Boys additionally spend more time playing video games, with some associated chats and forums spreading manosphere content (Boniel-Nissim M. et al, 2024; Schlegel L., 2021).

Social media is the most common internet use among young people, and misogynistic content is now readily available on mainstream platforms, whereas previously it had to be actively sought (Bertoni E. et al, 2025; Regehr K. et al, 2024). Young men encounter such content through unrelated searches, as AI algorithms amplify extreme material, and continued use leads to increasingly misogynistic ideologies (Regehr K. et al, 2024; Vodafone, 2024).

On platforms like TikTok, this content is gamified, presented as entertainment, often disguised as jokes and delivered in bite-sized chunks. This “micro-dose” effect desensitises viewers and normalises extremist ideas (Regehr K. et al, 2024). Manosphere influencers, some with millions of followers, amplify this content while profiting from engagement and selling products like courses or supplements as solutions to viewers’ concerns (Bujalka E. et al, 2022). According to Hope not Hate (2023), nearly 80% of 16-to-17-year-old British boys consumed content from Andrew Tate, a manosphere influencer who has been banned from several social media platforms for misogynistic views and hate speech (Henley J. et al, 2025).

Beyond the Screen: Offline Impact  

Online misogyny is having an offline impact on young people’s attitudes, beliefs and interactions. A recent poll found that 52% of 16–17-year-old British boys have a positive view of Andrew Tate (Hope not Hate, 2023). Parents report their sons are increasingly using degrading language when speaking about women and girls (Vodafone, 2024). Studies in the UK and Australia show that teachers are also concerned, reporting that boys reference misogynistic influencers or movements, make misogynistic comments, and engage in discriminatory, disrespectful, or harassing behaviour toward female staff and peers, negatively impacting learning and teachers’ work (Over H. et al, 2025b; Vodafone, 2024; Wescott S. et al, 2023).

Engagement with the manosphere has been linked to incidents of interpersonal and societal violence, including mass shootings committed by individuals under 25 years old (Hoffman B. et al, 2020; Wood A. et al, 2022). Traditional gender role attitudes, promoted within the manosphere, are also linked to a higher risk of dating violence perpetration among adolescent boys (Reyes H.L. et al, 2016). Not only do some individuals in the manosphere have a history of violence against women, but such violence is often normalised and even encouraged (Aiolfi I. et al, 2024).

A Bidirectional Relationship with Mental health? 

Poor mental health has been reported among members of the manosphere, including conditions such as depression, anxiety and autism. Loneliness, social rejection, hopelessness, suicide and self-harm are also commonly discussed themes within these communities. However, mental health care is viewed with stigma, disappointment and cynicism (Delaney T.W. et al, 2024; Maxwell D. et al, 2020; Over H. et al, 2025a; Speckhard A. & Ellenberg M., 2022; Stijelja S. & Mishara B.L., 2022; Vallerga M. & Zurbriggen E.L., 2022). Recent research suggests that initial online searches related to mental health, loneliness, relationship advice or a search for belonging can push young people toward misogynistic content (Regehr K. et al, 2024). Although these communities may offer a sense of belonging and shared hardship, this can come at the expense of adaptive coping mechanisms and may worsen mental health (Speckhard A. & Ellenberg M., 2022).

Research focused on adolescents is limited, but existing evidence suggests that online misogyny negatively affects their mental health. In a UK survey, 66% of 11–14-year-old boys reported that viewing misogynistic content online made them feel worried, sad or scared (Vodafone, 2024). Teachers have also reported that male pupils’ engagement with the manosphere, and their subsequent behaviour, harms female pupils’ well-being, self-esteem and engagement, and is associated with depressive symptoms and work-related stress among female teachers (Over H. et al, 2025a, 2025b). Given the unique characteristics of ‘the teenage brain’, the developmental context should be considered when researching adolescents’ consumption of online misogyny, as well as when designing interventions and policies (Gilmour J. 2025).

Implications for Policy and Practice

Given adolescents’ increasing exposure to online misogyny and its associated harms, urgent educational and policy measures are needed, tailored to specific contexts, including:

• Legislation to ensure online platforms are safe by design for young people, prioritising their well-being in product development. This includes regulating social media services, holding companies accountable, and enforcing age-appropriate restrictions.
• Integrating digital literacy into the school curriculum to promote critical thinking about online content, recognise harms and resist radicalisation.
• Raising awareness among parents and carers about online risks, helping them identify problematic patterns in their own online behaviour and support their children’s digital activity.
• Involving young people in shaping digital legislation and rules, encouraging peer-to-peer learning and positive role models, while ensuring screen time does not replace essential activities like social interaction, physical play, and sleep.
• Investing in research on the links between online misogyny and adolescent mental health, including among specific subgroups, and across different countries and communities; other forms of online gender-based harm; the effectiveness of interventions and policies; and causal relationships, using longitudinal designs.
• Raising awareness of reliable, professional support groups and helplines among adolescent boys.

NB This blog has been peer reviewed

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