Experts call for manosphere to be treated as public health issue

Researchers in a new Lancet report argue that the online “manosphere” should be addressed as a public health emergency, likening it to the way society has tackled smoking and obesity.

The report warns that the manosphere spreads hatred of women and gender equality among young men and teenagers, framing men’s problems as caused by feminism rather than broader structural conditions. It says masculine identity is commodified through products and paid content that normalise harmful, performance‑oriented masculinities.

On Newstalk’s Lunchtime Live, Lee Chambers, CEO of Male Ally UK, agreed the phenomenon poses health risks. He highlighted the need to understand why young people engage with such content and to consider the role of social‑media algorithms that amplify it.

Chambers called for a coordinated response involving schools, health services, families, communities and Government, and urged social‑media platforms to take responsibility for limiting the spread of harmful material.

The report’s authors recommend treating the manosphere with the same urgency and policy tools applied to other public health threats.

Source: Newstalk. Photo: Markus Winkler / Pexels.