Online forums are exploiting the insecurity and vulnerability of young men. Healthcare can improve their mental and social wellbeing by providing healthy, alternative support systems and challenging harmful ideologies, write Brandon Sparks and Chloe Papandreou
A growing body of literature is revealing the problems faced by young men. Roughly one in five experiences a mental health problem1 and young men have some of the highest rates of substance misuse,1 violent behaviour,2 and suicide.3 The Office for National Statistics recently reported the largest quarterly rise in young men (aged 16 to 24) in the UK not in employment or education/training in more than two decades.4
Reluctant to seek professional help5 and encountering a growing discourse that associates masculinity with “toxic” traits, young men are turning to online forums where they feel more comfortable and safe to discuss their problems and seek advice.6789 Colloquially dubbed the “manosphere,” these forums exploit the vulnerabilities of young men by employing misogynistic ideologies, claiming that the rise of feminism is the root cause of their personal difficulties.1011 Many of the masculine norms they champion are associated with …