Many of us will have watched Louis Theroux’s recent documentary on the ‘Manosphere‘ with a mixture of concern, sadness and, if we’re honest, a sense of recognition. Those of us who work with young people, or who have sons ourselves, have felt for some time that boys are being targeted. Influencers are deliberately seeking out their insecurities, offering comfort that quickly turns into manipulation.
What Theroux’s documentary reveals so starkly is the cynicism behind the movement. There is no grand philosophy, no secret wisdom about how boys should grow into men. Instead, it is a set of online entrepreneurs monetising vulnerability.
Why are boys vulnerable to the manosphere?
There is, of course, important background to all of this. A growing body of research shows that this is a uniquely challenging time for boys and young men . The feelings the manosphere preys upon don’t appear out of thin air—they draw on real anxieties, gaps in support and pressures that many boys genuinely experience. The 2025 Lost Boys report offers one of the clearest summaries of these issues and helps us understand why some young people are so vulnerable to the narratives pushed by online influencers.
Some key findings, UK specific, include:
- Boys fall behind girls at every stage of education, starting in the Early Years and continuing through to university entry.
- Only 66% of boys achieve a good level of development in the Early Years Foundation Stage, compared to 77% of girls.
- At GCSE level, boys’ attainment still lags behind girls (68% vs 73% achieving grades 9–4 in English and Maths).
- Boys are half as likely as girls to go to university (41% vs 56%).
- Attainment gaps are particularly severe among White working class boys and Black Caribbean boys.
- Boys make up 75% of school suspensions and 83% of permanent exclusions, which increases long term risks around disengagement, exploitation, and crime.
- Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) rates for young men have risen by 40% since the pandemic, compared with just 7% for young women.
- The gender pay gap among 16–24 year olds has actually reversed, with young women earning around 9% more than their male peers.
- Suicide remains the leading cause of death among boys aged 15–19.
- Many boys face rising mental health challenges, obesity, eating disorders and exposure to harmful online content.
- One in five children grow up without a father present, a factor strongly linked to poorer outcomes for boys.
- Digital spaces increasingly expose boys to violent, misogynistic and addictive content, shaping ideas of masculinity in dangerous ways.
The harm the manosphere causes
In Theroux’s documentary we see some of the people directly harmed by manosphere influencers, but we don’t hear much about the wider impact—the damage being done to the young people consuming this content, and the harm these attitudes cause to both boys and girls. The Children’s Society has produced an excellent explainer on the manosphere that helps fill in this gap, looking not only at the movement itself but also at the emotional, social and developmental harm that is emerging as its influence grows.
A few key themes emerge:
- Distorted identity formation: Algorithms trap boys in cycles of extreme content. Over time, alternative viewpoints disappear and misogyny becomes part of a boy’s identity.
- Vulnerable boys are targeted on purpose: Boys who feel isolated, insecure, bullied or hurt are actively targeted. Influencers tell them their pain is the fault of women, feminism, or ‘the system’, this then creates a dangerous emotional dependency on the influencer.
- Pathways to real‑world violence: What starts as ‘ironic’ online jokes can escalate. Echo chambers reward more extreme views, making abuse or violence feel justified to some young men.
- Misogyny becomes normalised: Manosphere influencers teach boys that women are inferior, exist to serve men or are manipulating society for their own gain. This distorts boys’ understanding of relationships and fosters resentment.
- Girls bear the consequences: Whilst boys are the direct targets of manosphere grooming, girls face increased harassment, objectification, and sometimes violence.
- Harmful behaviour often comes from unmet need: The Children’s Society makes a vital point:
boys acting out misogynistic behaviour are often expressing pain, not malice – they need support, not condemnation.
A Christian response
There’s obviously much more to be said about a Christian response to this challenge, especially given the ways Christianity has, at times, been used to support some of the values found in the manosphere. I found a recent episode of the Youthscape Podcast really helpful because it begins to unpack some of the things the Church can do.
The thing that struck me most was the importance of good male role models in our churches and youth clubs; people who can offer young men alternative models of masculinity. When those other models are visible and lived out, a different way of being a man is not just spoken about but demonstrated.
Of course, there are behaviours and attitudes that need to be challenged directly, and there will be moments when that is completely appropriate. But it seems to me that the more powerful response is to welcome young people into a community where those harmful values are quietly but profoundly challenged through the love we show one another, the care we take, and the value we recognise in every person in Christ.