Male violence epidemic: ‘Influencers don't just take boys’ money, they take their minds’
Sir Gareth Southgate has criticised the lack of role models for boys, saying they turn to “toxic influencers” instead of seeking support in their community, while Keir Starmer has described the rise in male violence as “abhorrent” during a speech in the House of Commons.
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In brief…
- The former England manager has spoken of the isolation experienced by many boys in the UK, saying they are instead turning to online influences such as porn, gambling and gaming.
- His comments come the same week as Netflix have released new drama ‘Adolescence’ which depicts a 13-year-old boy influenced by social media culture and incel culture.
- The News Agents say social media is responsible, and algorithms which serve content to young people depending on their gender, resulting in an increasingly divided society.
What’s the story?
Just days after Netflix released its new show Adolescence, which has thrust the epidemic of male violence into the spotlight, Gareth Southgate made a speech condemning the lack of role models for boys in Britain, saying they spend too much time online watching porn, gambling and gaming.
Keir Starmer, who has watched the show with his teenage children, has backed calls for it to be shown in schools.
The former England football manager says there is a lack of positive influences for boys, who are instead turning to influencers online – which do not offer the support once given by teachers, coaches or leaders of youth groups.
He describes many of the male influencers as “callous, manipulative and toxic influencers", and not having the interests of their audience at heart.
"They willingly trick young men into believing that success is measured by money or dominance, that strength means never showing emotion, and that the world, including women, is against them," Southgate said in a talk for the BBC.
"Too many young men are isolated.
"So, when they struggle, young men inevitably try to handle whatever situation they find themselves in, alone."
He says this isolation is what leads them to turn online, and discover "unhealthy alternatives".
Keir Starmer spoke in the House of Commons about the rise in violence and crime committed by boys and young men, when questioned about a campaign to have new Netflix drama Adolescence shown in British schools.
This violence carried out by young men, influenced by what they see online, is a real problem. It's abhorrent, and we have to tackle it,” Starmer said.
"I think it's important across the whole House, we tackle this growing and emerging problem."
Why is this happening now?
Emily Maitlis says it is “unusual” to see a number of voices speak out on the same issue, at the same time.
“If Gareth Southgate represents the good role model, there are some pretty bad role models out there who are leading the charge on this conversation, saying, ‘men have been feminised, it's about time we reasserted ourselves’,” says Jon Sopel.
He says examples of these "bad role models" include Andrew Tate and Conor McGregor – both of whom have been backed by the Trump administration in recent weeks.
“There is an emergence of a profound and significant gender gap on politics, not just party politics, but on all sorts of cultural and social attitudes between young men and young women,” Jon adds.
The News Agents say that this rise in male violence, and growth in toxic male influencers, can be traced back to the #metoo movement, which brought abuse and mistreatment of women into the mainstream.
“I think the backlash started almost as soon as as the #metoo revelation started, but it also came with other things as well,” says Emily.
“The growth of gaming – kids spending hour after hour on a console, in this subterranean world that you know nothing about.”
Emily says that some boys and young men now feel they are being “persecuted” and “misunderstood”.
“They are now feeling like they have to recapture their sense of masculinity because it has been eroded by their perception of feminists telling them not to be so male,” she says.
“We've got ourselves into an absolute mess here, because feminists don't feel better. Feminists do not feel more safe now. That's not how it works.”
Lewis says the situation has escalated with the growth of online culture and social media, and progressed from a time when most traditional media was not segregated into male, or female, content.
“Now if you go online and you're 18, you will see a completely different diet if you are a boy or a girl,” Lewis says.
“You will see male podcasts and female podcasts. The content machine is just completely feminised or masculinised, depending on who it's appealing to.”
Jon Sopel says boys and young men are becoming “fragile” and “uncertain” due to their 24/7 reliance on smartphones and social media.
“Never has there been so much information, but rarely so little wisdom or knowledge.”
How are these changes reflected in politics?
Lewis says that, since World War II, each generation has gone on to be a bit more liberal than the last, but what we’re seeing now is a “reversal of that process”.
This, he adds, is concentrated in particular among one gender and was most starkly highlighted in the German elections, where huge numbers of young men voted for the hard-right AfD party, while young women backed left wing groups.
“This is a generation which has come of age in a political world which has been in such flux, and where the menu of politics has been so much wider than anything,” Lewis adds.
“If you're 18 now, you've only known Trump. You've only known Trump's political world.
“It is a world of more extremes than the one we were used to.”
What’s The News Agents’ take?
Emiliy Maitlis believes one of the most concerning elements of the toxic male influencer sphere is that they are both profiting from potentially vulnerable young men, and changing the way they think.
“These men – Alex Jones, Andrew Tates – they are not just taking your money, they are taking your mind, and they are taking you for a ride into their world, whereby you get the girls.
“If you're fit, you get rich, you get the car, you get the respect.
“It's really scary, because they don't have to believe it. They're just getting rich on it. They know it's a whole load of horse shit, but the people who are following are the ones who then start spreading their word.”