Experts publishing in The Lancet call for the online manosphere to be tackled as a public health crisis comparable to tobacco and ultra-processed foods. Academics including Sarah Hawkes and Kent Buse argue that commercial platforms profit from young men's isolation, outrage, and economic insecurity. The report links manosphere narratives to gender-based violence and mental health risks, urging governments to regulate social media platforms while expanding educational and economic support for boys.
Public health and regulatory recommendations
- ▪The Lancet report called for a coordinated public health response across governments, schools, and health services that addresses underlying economic conditions and job skills.
- ▪The Lancet authors recommended regulating digital platforms, improving algorithm design to foster positive social norms, and re-engaging boys in education.
- ▪A Lancet report published called for the online manosphere to be treated as a public health issue similar to tobacco and ultra-processed foods.
Response from men's policy charity
- ▪Mark Brooks of the Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys welcomed the Lancet report's classification of the manosphere as a public health issue affecting both males and females.
- ▪Mark Brooks stated that the Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys is currently conducting research to identify which boys and men are most at risk of manosphere engagement.
The manosphere as a commercial business model
- ▪Global 50/50 co-founder Kent Buse stated that the manosphere operates as a lucrative business model that exploits male anger and mirrors tactics used by the tobacco industry.
- ▪The Lancet report stated that hosting platforms and content creators monetise young men's insecurities by deploying strategies that individualise responsibility and reward extreme outrage.
- ▪The Lancet report defined the manosphere as a diffuse commercial ecosystem and loose network of online communities united by shared beliefs about masculinity, misogyny, and male victimization.
- ▪The Lancet report warned that efforts to regulate manosphere content are frequently resisted by industry figures who frame regulation as an attack on men's personal autonomy.
Root causes driving young men to the manosphere
- ▪The Lancet report identified educational marginalisation, social exclusion, money worries, and loneliness as key factors leaving young men searching for online belonging.
- ▪Global 50/50 co-founder Sarah Hawkes stated that the manosphere provides boys with identity and explanations for life's difficulties that content moderation alone cannot resolve.
- ▪A separate paper by Professor Jim Catto in The Lancet argued that online narratives around male grievance fill a void left by an absence of support for men.
Health and social impacts on men and women
- ▪The Lancet report linked idealized male body images promoted in the manosphere to psychological distress, body dissatisfaction, and male over-representation in suicide statistics.
- ▪The Lancet report highlighted that engagement with the manosphere contributes to gender-based violence against women and girls.
- ▪The Lancet report stated that manosphere engagement delegitimises help-seeking behaviour among boys and young men, contributing to reluctance to access mental health care.
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