Summary
This submission, authored by a MANTRaP research team including Dr Alexandra Krendal from the University of Southampton, highlights how misogynistic online communities use explicit and implicit language to dehumanise women, deny gender-based violence, and normalise hostile attitudes, which can radicalise boys and young men and spill over into schools and society. The evidence shows that this rhetoric contributes to rising antifeminist attitudes among young men, fuels sexist behaviours in schools, and is actively amplified by social media algorithms that rapidly push such content to boys and male teenagers. The authors argue that while some platforms have made limited efforts to restrict access to this material, current measures are inadequate and too slow. They recommend decisive action including mandatory use of proactive detection technologies, better human moderation supported by expert input, tighter algorithm controls to prevent recommendation of misogynistic content, and robust enforcement under the Online Safety Act. Furthermore, they call for schools to foster critical discussion about masculinities, build supportive peer groups, and integrate nuanced media literacy to counteract online radicalisation, stressing that addressing the manosphere must be central—not peripheral—to protecting women and girls online and offline.
Authors
Dr Alexandra Krendal, University of Southampton.
Dr Jess Aiston, Queen Mary University, London.
Dr Veronika Koller, Lancaster University.
Dr Mark McGlashan, University of Liverpool.
