How to counter the manosphere’s toxic influence

It’s important to normalize conversations with young people about their internet use while encouraging their independence. Still, guardians, caregivers, friends and family members should pay attention to indicators of detrimental online influences. While not an exhaustive list, some behaviours include:

• Social withdrawal and becoming secretive about online activities
• Using more gendered hate speech or rigid gender beliefs held by extremist groups
• Negative changes in behaviour and attitudes, including greater distrust and hostility towards women or unhealthy obsessions with “manliness”
• Using humour that dehumanizes others, especially women and girls
• Sexual harassment, including name calling or sexualizing the appearance of girls and women, such as teachers

Young people often express different versions of themselves to different audiences, so it’s important for parents to be open to conversations with other caregivers about changes in a child’s behaviour.

Standing up to the manosphere requires we challenge the harmful beliefs and social norms that perpetuate gender inequality. In our social circles and communities, this work often begins and grows with conversation. It’s also helpful to talk to kids about gender equality and stereotypes.

If you are concerned that someone close to you is being negatively influenced by online content, find the right moment to talk to them. Be open to their perspectives and serve as a positive role model.

Promote healthy masculinity in the digital age

• Value empathy and communication, as opposed to stoicism or isolation
• Build relationships based on trust, not dominance or status
• Normalize emotional expression and show that it’s safe to be vulnerable
• Model respect and ways to have healthy disagreements
• Point out and discuss gender stereotypes in media

For every toxic manosphere influencer, there are positive creators, like UN Women partners and affiliates that promote gender equality, including HeForShe, with its Male Allyship Toolkits; Equimundo; the MenEngage Alliance; and the Movember Foundation, which provides valuable information about men’s physical and mental health.

Teach media literacy to resist digital hate and pseudoscience

The manosphere is built upon pseudoscience and emotional manipulation. Teach young men to ask questions like, who made this, why and what’s missing? Check multiple (ideally, primary) sources before you believe data and spot red flags, such as:

• One-sided generalizations about gender, like AWALT, meaning “all women are like that”
• Emotionally charged language, including “us vs. them” arguments
• Misuse of data, including oversimplifications about biology or psychology

Address misogyny head-on

According to a survey by Team Lewis Foundation in support of HeForShe, two-thirds of men feel it is important for individuals to take a stand against sexist comments and behaviours they see online, but many still feel it is not their place.

All of us can and must play a part in countering online misogyny. We can harness technology and digital spaces for good – and engage men as allies for gender equality.

To weaken the influence of extremists in the manosphere, we must stop normalizing violence against women and push back against harmful definitions of masculinity. That requires strengthening laws just as much as it requires shifting attitudes.

UN Women’s role in bringing diverse voices to this and broader gender-equality conversations is critical. From these powerful alliances, we know that stopping online violence requires action at the highest levels. Policymakers, funders and tech companies must:

• Strengthen existing policies on violence against women and girls to prohibit digital violence and strengthen capacities to investigate and prosecute crimes effectively
• Hold the technology industry accountable for the spread of harmful content that normalizes violence – and for proactively detecting and removing it
• Promote greater transparency across digital platforms, including the effects of algorithms, and strengthen content moderation and codes of conduct
• Build cooperation between state regulators and industry on laws for safer digital spaces
• Empower survivors of digital abuse by including their input in developing new policies and include women’s safety experts in the testing of new technologies, including AI products
• Close data gaps on the manosphere’s influence and the entry points for extremist ideologies
• Invest in digital citizenship to equip young people with the tools to recognize and reject online hate
• Form partnerships with civil society organizations and influencers to counter extremist content, promote inclusive gender norms, and model positive masculinities
• Invest in programmes, including mental health initiatives for men and boys, groups promoting positive masculinities, and evidence-based interventions to prevent radicalization

The mission of UN Women is to accelerate progress on gender equality worldwide. To achieve this, we not only promote the rights, empowerment, and safety of all women and girls, but work with partners to disrupt the gender norms that harm men and boys.

The manosphere’s push into the mainstream coincides with growing conservatism among young men, who are more likely to hold stereotypical views on gender and falsely believe that feminism discriminates against men. As the world marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, a revolutionary plan for gender equality, this is the moment to tackle the obstacles. Ending gender-based violence and closing the digital gender divide are priorities.

By standing up against toxic masculinity online, we're pushing back on digital abuse and the real-world violence that it promotes. Let’s “unsubscribe” from the manosphere, so that the digital world can become safer and more equal – for everyone.