WHAT YOU CAN DO TO PROTECT YOUR TEENS

1 FAMILIARISE yourself with the reality of young people’s online world. Follow a few Instagram meme accounts, check out some viral ‘MGTOW’ (Men Going Their Own Way) videos on YouTube, or take a look at some of the mainstream ‘red pill’ content on Reddit. 2 LISTEN out for your teenager using words such as ‘bluepilled’, ‘triggered’ or ‘SJW’ (‘social justice warrior’) as insults. These are red flags, suggesting they’ve already encountered ‘manosphere’ content. 3 ENCOURAGE them to talk and provide a non-judgmental space in which to listen. A lot of manosphere ideology thrives on fear and stigma. Letting boys ask questions and you both exploring the answers together using reliable statistics can help. 4 PLAY the‘manosphere’ at its own game. YouTube channel ‘ContraPoints’ uses the same viral videos and slick humour as the manosphere, but questions and dismantles its arguments. 5 MOTIVATE your boys to develop offline, platonic friendships with girls. Misogynistic ideology relies on the total dehumanisation of women. Learning that girls are real, individual humans is an effective way to undermine it. 6 ASK schools if they are aware of the problem and encourage them to invite outside organisations such as the Good Lad Initiative to talk to pupils. 7 YOU might be tempted to ban your son from certain websites, but this plays into the hands of sexist ‘gurus’, who present themselves as censored victims. Talking about and challenging extreme content is likely to be far more effective.