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The manosphere: What it is and what parents and carers need to know

The global release of Louis Theroux’s Netflix documentary, ‘Inside the Manosphere’, will bring renewed attention to a part of the internet shaping how some boys and young men think about masculinity, relationships and power. For parents and carers, this is more than a passing media moment.

In this online safety advisory:

 

The manosphere is not just a fringe online subculture. Its harmful messages are filtering into online humour, memes, self-improvement content and recommender feeds. The content might seem harmless at first. Then the tone shifts.

eSafety’s young men online research reveals a more complex picture than headlines suggest.  

Many boys and young men use digital spaces to learn, connect and explore healthy, positive masculinities.

However, some online spaces also exploit the natural insecurities that come with adolescence and can pull young men towards more hostile and harmful ideas that portray girls and women as inferior.

This advisory explains what the manosphere is and why it appeals to some boys and young men. We outline how its messages spread, how echo chambers reinforce conformity, and what parents and carers can do to support healthy, respectful and positive masculinities.

What is the manosphere?

‘Manosphere’ is an umbrella term for a mix of online spaces that talk about men, masculinity and gender relations. Such spaces frequently advocate narrow and rigid ideas about what it means to be a ‘real man’.

This includes reinforcing the stereotype that material wealth, physical appearance, and dominance – especially over women – are markers of male worth.

Another common (but false) narrative is that feminism and gender equality have come at the expense of men’s rights.

These ideas are seeping into mainstream online culture through a mix of content tactics, influencers and platform designs – including recommender algorithms.

It's a toxic cycle: outrage drives engagement, which fuels amplification, which attracts new audiences, and algorithms keep pushing it because more eyeballs mean more ad dollars.

While young men might start out searching for relatable topics – like fitness or self-improvement – they can be propelled by these combined forces, step by step, into blame, resentment and hate, often aimed at women and the LGBTIQ+ community.

Most boys who watch this type of content won’t end up in a harmful community. But it’s still worth paying attention from a child’s earliest online experience because the promises made by powerful influencers can make harmful ideas attractive.

Why the manosphere can be appealing to boys and young men

Most boys and young men are navigating the online world in constructive ways. They are empathetic, resilient and curious, and use digital spaces to learn, build skills and find community.

However, harmful creators and communities can also appeal by meeting ‘unmet’ needs: validation, guidance, belonging and edginess (content that feels raw, unfiltered or anti-establishment).

Uncertainty and loneliness can add pressure and drive interest. When someone is looking for connection, they may be more likely to trust people too quickly or join communities without understanding the risk.

Where the manosphere shows up and how it spreads

Manosphere content is not limited to one app, platform or site. Young people can encounter it across:

  • short-form video and video platforms
  • forums and anonymous spaces where people use coded or ‘in-group’ language and push boundaries
  • chat and live streaming spaces where ideas spread quickly through jokes, clips and comment threads
  • meme and gaming subcultures, where irony can be used as cover for hateful messages.

Such harmful content often shows up in everyday, recognisable online content:

Relatable entry points

Content can start with self-improvement tips, financial or dating advice, fitness tips, confidence talk or ‘discipline’ – then slide into rigid gender roles and harmful messages about women and girls.

Humour, memes and irony

Memes can be funny. They can also carry coded messages, shift meaning over time, or be used to smuggle hateful ideas through dark humour.

Coded language and symbols

Some groups use shorthand to signal membership. Even emojis can be used in coded ways. The key point is context: a symbol can be harmless in one chat and a red flag in another.

Here are just some of the ways emojis convey harmful beliefs or ideas: 

🔴 Symbolises ‘red pill’ thinking – the idea that men need to ‘wake up’ to what they see as an unfair system working against them. 

🔥 Used to praise someone for agreeing with manosphere beliefs or sharing an opinion that supports them. 

💪 Stands for being a strong, dominant man, often linked to gym culture and the idea of being ‘high-status’. 

🐍 Used to insult men who support feminism or gender equality, calling them traitors. 

👑 Used to show dominance, often linked to the idea that ‘men are kings.’ Sometimes used to mock men seen as too submissive to women. 

Remember: This is a rapidly evolving sub-culture. Its codes and symbols are constantly changing.

How recommender systems can ratchet up harm

Our research show almost half of children aged 10 to 17 years have seen or heard offensive, sexist or hurtful things online about girls or women. And more than 1 in 10 have seen violent sexual images or videos.

How this harmful content spreads mostly comes down to the hidden inputs and mechanics governing recommender systems.

Recommender systems determine what content comes next. They sit behind ‘For You’ feeds, home pages, autoplay and suggestions for the following video.

They track what a user does – what they click, how long they watch and what they like, share, save, comment on or search for. Then they keep suggesting and serving up content intended to keep you hooked to your screen, including content that sparks controversy, disgust and outrage. After all, more eyeballs on a platform equates to more ad dollars.

The system is not making a judgement about what’s healthy or true. It’s responding to attention. Even a pause on something provocative can send the signal: ‘show me more’.

As examined in eSafety’s upcoming webinar Exploring the online experiences of boys and young men, the content appearing in a young person's feed can, over time, narrow and only provide one perspective on an issue.

A young person can start to feel like certain ideas are everywhere, simply because they keep seeing them in different formats and from different accounts. Such echo chambers reinforce and spread certain beliefs.

What is an incel?

‘Incel’ is short for ‘involuntary celibate’.

Some men use this term when they feel shut out of sex or romance. They often blame women – and sometimes society – for being rejected. Incels believe men are entitled to sex and relationships with women.

Incel forums often reinforce beliefs through memes, coded language and shared resentment, where anonymity can make people bolder and can shift how they present themselves or see others.

Common in-group terms include:

  • red pill: coded term for ‘waking up’ to supposed hidden truths that the world favours women over men. In reference to the movie The Matrix, it suggests that people who disagree have taken the blue pill (choosing comforting illusion over truth) – the black pill means a bleak belief that nothing can change
  • Chad/Stacy (stereotypes about attractive or successful men and women)
  • normie (a put-down for people outside the subculture).

What is MGTOW?

MGTOW stands for ‘Men Going Their Own Way’.

MGTOW content often frames itself as self-improvement and self-protection. It promotes the idea that men should avoid relationships with women and focus on their own development.

These spaces can spread broad, demeaning messages about women. Over time, they can normalise disrespect and make it harder for women and girls to participate online without being targeted or silenced.

The links between the manosphere and gender-based violence

Some parts of the manosphere promote ideas that can feed into gender-based violence, especially when they are repeated, normalised and reinforced in online groups.

In the manosphere, women and girls are portrayed as manipulative, irrational or less deserving of respect. A common belief is they choose partners only for looks or financial status. These narratives undermine women’s autonomy and make it easier to dismiss their boundaries.

Some manosphere creators frame old stereotypes as biological or evolutionary explanations to make them seem more convincing. Degrading labels and dehumanising jokes can also shift what feels acceptable and normalise harassment and coercive attitudes.

Most people who see this content will never commit violence. However, there is concern that a small number of individuals can move from online hate into offline harm, especially when online communities reward extreme talk.

What parents and carers can do

You don’t need to know every acronym or meme. What matters is connection, conversations and ongoing support.

Stay close, even when they push back

Strong relationships offer protection. Young people who feel anchored offline are less likely to rely on online validation.

eSafety research found children were much more likely to talk to a parent or carer about an upsetting online experience when parents encouraged those conversations.

These are some practical moves:

  • Create regular, low-pressure moments to talk (car rides, dinner clean-up, walks).
  • Show interest in what they do online, just like you do with school or sport.
  • Keep your tone steady, even if what you hear is confronting.
  • Pause before you react and focus on listening.

Build critical thinking

Critical thinking is a strength many young men already show online. Help them apply it to influencers and gender-related content too.

Talk about:

  • how algorithms shape what appears in their feeds
  • how influencers may gain status or profit from creating controversy or endorsing products
  • how content can exaggerate or distort reality.

Focus on values, not fear

When parents panic, young people often shut down. Be curious, not critical. Focus on respect and values, rather than giving them a list of people they can’t engage with online.

Instead of: ‘That influencer is dangerous’ try: ‘Do you think that person treats people with respect?’

Ask questions that open, not shut down

These questions invite your child to explain, reflect and think:

  • ‘Hey, that meme is everywhere. What do you think it means?’
  • ‘That one’s interesting. Where did you first see it?’
  • ‘Do you think everyone sees that meme the same way?’

Know where they spend time online

You do not need to secretly monitor. You do need basic awareness.

Ask what platforms they use and what they like about them. Platforms can vary depending on the specific server, channel or forum.

Support them to find role models

Harmful content often meets a need for belonging, guidance and identity. You can meet that need in healthier ways too.

Encourage strong relationships beyond your child-parent bond, such as with aunties, uncles, grandparents, sports coaches and community leaders.

Try:

  • asking ‘Who do you look up to?’ or ‘What makes someone a good role model to you?’
  • looking for mentors close to home (coaches, teachers, community leaders) – role models do not have to be male
  • modelling respectful behaviour yourself (own mistakes, show emotion without shame, speak up against harmful stereotypes).

Talk early about healthy relationships

Have ongoing, age-appropriate conversations about:

  • respect and equality
  • consent
  • emotional regulation and handling rejection without blaming themselves or others
  • the many ways to be a young man.

Keep reassuring them that asking for support is courageous

Unfortunately, there’s still a lot of stigma and shame around mental health, especially for men.

From a very young age, it’s important to keep reminding all children it’s OK to ask for help – no matter the problem.

For appropriate crisis or mental health advice, check out:

Find more services

For information on how to support positive masculinities, check out:

Signs your child may be moving towards harmful beliefs

A single meme or phrase does not tell you everything. Instead, look for patterns of behaviour.

Some signs to watch for in your children include:

  • fixation on needing to look a certain way, with importance given to jawline, eyes and build (also known as looksmaxxing)
  • desire to increase their testosterone levels, either naturally (e.g. through diet) or by taking synthetic hormones (also known as t-maxxing)
  • replacing a healthy and varied diet with fibre-dense foods, supplements or powder (also known as fibre-maxxing)
  • using degrading or sexist language
  • making jokes about rape or violence towards women
  • picking up new slang that is extreme or dehumanising, such as ‘red-pilled’ or calling people NPCs – a demeaning label that means ‘non-player characters’ (an unimportant or background character). 

If you notice signs, start a gentle conversation, not a confrontation.

How eSafety can help

If you want more support, eSafety can help you:

What’s next    

This issue is moving fast, and support for parents, educators and young people needs to keep pace. We need more proven programs that reach more people to prevent and respond to online misogyny.

As Australia prepares its next five-year plan to support the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and their Children, we need to invest in early support that helps boys and young men build respect, emotional skills, and healthy ideas about relationships – online and off.

eSafety will keep working on this from several angles. We will: 

 

Image credit: Original image provided by Netflix. Resized with copy additions by eSafety.