Something is happening to our boys. And it’s not just hormones, teenage rebellion, or the usual growing pains. It’s darker, deeper, and more dangerous. Because in the vacuum left by emotional repression and a lack of belonging, misogyny has found a foothold—and it's speaking loud and clear.

You don’t have to look far: algorithm-fed influencers telling boys that women are manipulative, weak, or there to be dominated. Viral content mocking consent and glorifying control. Incels bonding over their hatred of women.Boys as young as 12 repeating phrases like “high-value men” and “female nature” without really knowing what they mean—just that they make them feel powerful in a world where they often feel powerless.

This isn’t just online noise. It’s a radicalisation pipeline. And it starts far earlier than we think.

The Perfect Storm: Isolation, Influencers & Insecurity

Teen boys are growing up in a world that’s changing fast—and they’re not always getting the tools to keep up. They're told to “man up” but also to be sensitive. They're expected to be leaders, but never taught to follow their own feelings. They’re surrounded by curated social media personas, but starving for real connection.

And in that confusion, misogyny becomes a shortcut. A simple narrative. An easy scapegoat.

It's no accident and it is not new, even if social media and our new, more disconnected ways, is fertile soil to accelerate it. The Andrew Tates of the world understand the hunger. They’re offering boys a sense of control, identity, and community—however toxic. They’re speaking to their loneliness, their frustration, their confusion about masculinity—and weaponising it against women and girls.

What they’re selling is not empowerment. It’s fear disguised as confidence, entitlement disguised as truth.

We’re Letting Them Down

The truth is, we haven’t done enough to give boys what they actually need. Emotional literacy. Belonging. Critical thinking.

We expect boys to know how to manage emotions they’ve never been allowed to name. We want them to speak openly, but we mock them when they show vulnerability. We tell them “boys will be boys,” and then act surprised when they grow into men who don’t know how to care, relate, or reflect.

We are not offering boys better alternatives, because we haven’t made the space yet to tell them that they deserve better too.

And in that silence, the loudest, angriest voices win.

What Can We Do?

This isn’t just a parenting problem. It’s a cultural one. And if we’re serious about tackling misogyny, we have to start with our boys.

• Caregivers and educators need to create spaces where boys can feel without shame. Where crying isn’t weakness, and anger isn’t their only outlet. Talk about gender roles, power, and relationships early—and often. (You can find an outstanding resource with leader's voices here)

• Feminist brands (yes, that’s us!) need to speak to boys too. Not just to call them out, but to call them in. To show them that feminism isn’t against them—it’s for a version of them that’s freer, fuller, and more human.

• All of us can amplify healthy masculinity. Not the “strong silent type,” but the friend who shows up, the teen who checks in on his mate, the boy who lets himself care out loud. Let's celebrate the many men out there role modelling a much more positive way to show up. Let’s not take their softness for granted. Let’s not let it be crushed by a culture that’s waiting to harden them up.

Belonging is the Antidote

The best way to protect our boys from misogyny isn’t to shame them into silence or police every word they say—it’s to give them something better. To offer connection instead of correction. To give them tools to understand themselves and others. To remind them that they’re allowed to be tender, confused, compassionate, and strong—all at once.

Boys don’t need saviours. They need community. They need mirrors that show them all they can be—not just what patriarchy demands.

They’re not broken. They’re becoming. And it’s up to us to make sure they don’t have to trade their humanity to feel like they belong.