Across schools, sporting clubs, and online spaces, young men are seeking answers about who they are—and who they’re supposed to be. A growing body of research shows that they’re not just looking inward or to role models in their communities; they’re turning to social media. And the results are complex, troubling, and urgent.
A new report from the Movember® Institute of Men’s Health has revealed that more than two-thirds (68%) of Australian men aged 16 to 25 are engaging with masculinity influencer content online. This content spans from fitness and career advice to more controversial or outright misogynistic ideologies. While some of it appears motivational, the psychological toll is evident.
Those who regularly engage with masculinity influencers report more optimism about their future they also report feelings of worthlessness and a higher likelihood of engaging in risky health behaviours (such as steroid use). These young men also report greater endorsement of traditional gender roles, higher frustration around dating, and elevated emphasis on emotional control, stoicism, and self-reliance.
This paradox of feeling inspired while also more anxious is what makes the influence of this content so hard to challenge. It doesn’t always look detrimental. Which is why acknowledging these nuances can help us better understand what is going on. For example, research from Equimundo in 2023 found that young men who perceive that they’re most inside the ‘Man Box’ – typically thought of as a prescriptive set of rules that men and boys feel like they have to follow in order to be “real man” – also reported that they have the most sense of purpose in life.
Many young men are drawn to this content out because it offers them something. A sense of direction when they feel lost. Something to aspire to when they feel insecure. They’re not just being radicalised – they’re trying to fill a gap. As educators and wellbeing professionals, this is an invitation for us to ask: What’s missing from the spaces we offer boys and young men to talk about masculinity, mental health, and relationships?
The e61 Institute recently found that Gen Z men in Australia are diverging significantly from their female peers when it comes to social attitudes. While young women are becoming more progressive, many young men are gravitating toward more traditional, rigid, and hierarchical ideas of gender. This ideological gap is contributing to a broader “relationship breakdown” between genders, particularly in schools and online.
The implications are serious. Without critical, age-appropriate conversations about identity and relationships, young men are left to figure it out through algorithms. And those algorithms reward extremity.
At inyourskin and Evolve Education, we regularly engage with schools across Australia that are seeing this dynamic unfold in real time. Teachers and wellbeing coordinators tell us of teenage boys mimicking influencer rhetoric in classrooms. Parents ask how to support their sons without alienating them. And students themselves share stories of confusion, pressure, and shame.
What we’ve learned is this: you can’t ban your way out of this problem. The key is not to demonise all masculinity content, but to equip young people with the tools to critically engage with it.
If you’re interested in our workshops for staff, students, and parents which address topics such as masculinity and media, consent and healthy relationships, sextortion and image-based abuse, digital literacy and mental health, and respectful relationships education for a digital age, contact us to learn more.
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