My Son Is Watching Manosphere and Misogynistic Influencers — What Should I Do?

What “the manosphere” means

eSafety describes the manosphere as an umbrella term for a mix of online spaces that talk about men, masculinity and gender relations. Many of these spaces promote narrow ideas that link a man’s worth to wealth, appearance and dominance, particularly over women. Some creators sell courses or memberships; others mainly attract attention with provocative claims.

This is not niche. eSafety reports that almost half of Australian children aged 10 to 17 have seen or heard offensive, sexist or hurtful things online about girls or women. In the UK, Internet Matters’ 2023 research found favourable views of one prominent influencer among a minority of 15- and 16-year-old boys, and among some young fathers too — a reminder that the conversation may involve the whole family.

eSafety Commissioner (Australia): Inside the Manosphere – Online Safety Advisory · Internet Matters: New research sees favourable views towards Andrew Tate from both teen boys and young dads

Why the content keeps showing up

eSafety explains that recommender systems track behaviour and keep serving content intended to keep users watching, including content that sparks controversy, disgust and outrage. Even a pause on something provocative can send the signal “show me more”. Internet Matters makes the same point: someone who watches misogynistic content will see more suggestions of similar content.

Many boys first meet this content through fitness, gaming, money or dating advice, not through a search for anything hateful. That matters for how you talk about it: your son may have arrived looking for help with something real.

eSafety Commissioner (Australia): Inside the Manosphere – Online Safety Advisory · Internet Matters: What is misogyny? Guidance for parents

Start the conversation with curiosity

Both eSafety and Childnet advise staying calm. Childnet’s phrase is “be curious not furious”. eSafety suggests focusing on respect and values instead of giving a list of people he cannot engage with, and asking questions such as “That meme is everywhere — what do you think it means?” or “Do you think that person treats people with respect?”

Childnet suggests opening questions such as “How do you spend your time online? What do you enjoy doing?” and, when the time is right, asking whether he has heard a term such as “incel” and what it means to him. Listen to the answer fully before responding.

Pick moments when you are side by side rather than face to face — in the car, cooking, walking the dog. Short, repeated conversations usually achieve more than one big talk.

eSafety Commissioner (Australia): Inside the Manosphere – Online Safety Advisory · Childnet: Talking about misogyny and other themes raised in Netflix’s Adolescence

Talk about the need, not just the influencer

Ask what the content gives him. If it is fitness, find better coaching and a training plan. If it is money, talk honestly about how people actually earn and save. If it is confidence with girls or friends, talk about respect, consent and how relationships really work. Offering a better route to the same goal is more persuasive than attacking the messenger.

Watch one video together and ask practical questions: Who is speaking? What are they selling? What would happen if someone actually behaved like this at school or work? How would they feel if a sister or friend were spoken about this way? Helping him spot the business model is often more effective than arguing about the opinions.

Bring in other trusted adults — a coach, an older cousin, a teacher — whose version of being a man he respects.

Help him reshape the feed

On YouTube, tapping More next to a video and choosing Don’t recommend channel or Not interested tells the system to stop suggesting it. YouTube also lets users remove specific videos from watch history, or turn off watch history so that viewing does not influence future recommendations.

On Instagram, Meta announced a reset of suggested content that teens can also use: from the profile, open the More options menu, then Content preferences, then Reset suggested content. Not interested is available from a post’s menu, and Hidden Words can hide content containing chosen words or phrases.

TikTok announced a way to refresh the For You feed so it shows content as if the user had just signed up, alongside Not interested and keyword filters for hashtags or phrases. Menu names change between app versions, so do this together with your son on his own phone. Childnet also suggests muting or blocking accounts and resetting algorithms by clearing history.

YouTube Help: Manage your recommendations and search results · Meta: Introducing a way to reset your recommendations on Instagram · TikTok Newsroom: Introducing a way to refresh your For You feed on TikTok · Childnet: Talking about misogyny and other themes raised in Netflix’s Adolescence

How to Block a YouTube Channel on Your Child's Phone, TV and Tablet · Is TikTok Safe for Teens in 2026? A Parent’s Guide to Family Pairing and Privacy

Warning signs that need more than a conversation

eSafety lists patterns to watch for, including degrading or sexist language, jokes about rape or violence towards women, a fixation on appearance sometimes called “looksmaxxing”, and new extreme slang. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry adds signs of online radicalisation such as social withdrawal, increasing time socialising online, new strict or radical beliefs and use of in-group language, symbols and images, alongside signs of depression, suicidal thoughts or substance use.

No single sign proves anything. What matters is a pattern, and especially any move from opinions to justifying harm, threatening someone, or contact with groups that promote violence.

eSafety Commissioner (Australia): Inside the Manosphere – Online Safety Advisory · American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Online Radicalization (Facts for Families No. 143)

Where to get help

If you believe your child or someone else is in immediate danger, call your local emergency number. The AACAP advises contacting law enforcement immediately if you are concerned about your child’s imminent safety or potential for violence, and otherwise seeking help from your child’s pediatrician or a child psychiatrist.

In the UK, the government’s ACT Early support line, 0800 011 3764, takes confidential calls from anyone worried that someone is being radicalised. GOV.UK says Prevent support is voluntary, is not a punishment and does not go on a criminal record; support can include mentoring and online safety training for parents.

Report hateful or harassing content to the platform. If it is being shared among pupils, tell the school. Childnet also points families to removal routes if intimate images are involved.

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Online Radicalization (Facts for Families No. 143) · GOV.UK: Get help if you’re worried about someone being radicalised · Childnet: Talking about misogyny and other themes raised in Netflix’s Adolescence

What technology cannot solve

Feed resets, Not interested and keyword filters reduce how often content is recommended but do not block searches, shared links or group chats, and they can drift back over time. Settings and menu names vary by app version and country. No setting changes beliefs; conversations do.

Questions parents ask