The internet can be a breeding ground for harmful influencers, and men and boys are just as vulnerable to their tactics as women and girls. According to a group of Labour MPs, these individuals, often associated with the so-called manosphere, expose young men to gambling, sextortion, and violent pornography, highlighting the need for specific guidance from the regulator Ofcom.
As reported by The Guardian, more than 60 Labour MPs have written to Ofcom's chief executive, Melanie Dawes, urging her to take action to protect men and boys from these harmful influencers. The MPs argue that while the Online Safety Act has forced Ofcom to provide tech platforms with guidance on tackling harmful content that disproportionately affects women and girls, men and boys are also targeted in specific ways.
Statistics from the Gambling Commission reveal that 53% of 11- to 17-year-old boys see gambling adverts online each week, compared to 31% of their female peers. Furthermore, 91% of sextortion victims are male, according to the Internet Watch Foundation. These numbers highlight the need for targeted action to protect men and boys from online harms.
Understanding the Manosphere
The manosphere, a loose collection of online communities and influencers, has been linked to the spread of hate speech, misogyny, and violent extremism. Alistair Strathern, the MP for Hitchin and co-chair of the Labour group for men and boys, says that the recent Louis Theroux documentary Inside the Manosphere was a reminder of the dangers of the internet and the need for action to protect young men and boys.
Nick Isles, the director of the Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys, agrees, stating that manosphere influencers often exploit young men by peddling lies, falsehoods, and hate. Isles argues that these individuals may be lost souls, but the people they affect are not, and that it is essential to protect young boys and men from their harm.
Strathern emphasizes that the goal is not to achieve equity for its own sake but to recognize that violence against women and girls cannot be tackled without addressing the specific harms faced by men and boys. He argues that these harms are not just done to men and boys but also impact the women and girls in their lives, resulting in a loss for everyone.
Tackling Online Harms
The letter to Ofcom's Melanie Dawes highlights the disproportionate risk of specific harms faced by men and boys, including far-right political radicalization, crypto scams, and violent pornography. While men and boys are exposed to harmful content, including misinformation and disinformation, at a similar rate to women and girls, the content targeted at a male audience is likely to be different, and platforms may need to take different steps to understand and tackle the problem.
Strathern argues that Ofcom needs to step up and do more to tackle gendered online harms, emphasizing that the regulator must take this issue seriously and act on the clear evidence of the gendered aspects of harms affecting boys and men, as well as women and girls.
An Ofcom spokesperson responded by stating that protections in place under the Online Safety Act are designed to benefit anyone experiencing online abuse. The spokesperson noted that Ofcom's codes require services to protect users from being exposed to pornographic, hateful, and abusive content, and that guidance encourages tech companies to use educational and preventive approaches to reduce online abuse.
