Less than 23 minutes after signing up to social media, young boys will be served a stream of misogynistic content.
They will be told that women are inferior, that feminism is to blame for their problems and that dominance, control and aggression are markers of masculinity.
And we’re already watching the consequences of this messaging unfold offline.
A study by Monash University revealed that 1 in 2 teachers have reported an increase in gendered violence amongst students. While nearly 90 per cent of teachers say they have noticed the influence of manosphere ideas on student attitudes and behaviour in the past 12 months.
Today, at the National Press Club, consent advocate and founder of Teach Us Consent, Chanel Contos, called on the government to make social media platforms give us the choice to turn our algorithms on and off at will.
“The rise of the radicalisation of young men into misogyny online is an urgent challenge that must be addressed,” said Contos.
“Without immediate action, Australia risks a generation of young men being entrenched into ideologies that directly contradict the Government’s aims in the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children, as well as broader social cohesion.”
These attitudes and beliefs shaped by misogynistic content are causing real-world harm. The Australian Child Maltreatment Study found that teenage boys are now the most common perpetrators of sexual violence.
What Is The Manosphere?
Put simply, the manosphere is a collection of online communities that claim to “help” men. The content begins with seemingly harmless dating, fitness or self-improvement advice, but quickly directs boys and men towards increasingly misogynistic and extreme ideas.
“Young men online seeking community, belonging, and self-improvement advice are targeted with content that blames women for their misfortune and reinstates harmful and outdated gender roles, like that women shouldn’t leave the house without their male partner, or that they shouldn’t hold jobs or earn their own money,” said Contos.
Of course, seeing something online doesn’t necessarily mean you believe it. But when the same rigid ideas about masculinity are being continuously served to you and reinforced by content creators with huge followings, it’s difficult to ignore its influence.
The Man Box study found that those who subscribe to a set of beliefs within and across society that place pressure on men to act in a certain way are two times more likely to binge drink, six times more likely to problem gamble, eight times more likely to have suicidal thoughts and 17 times more likely to have hit their partner.
Why Is The Algorithm Serving Misogynistic Content?
Contos argues that the manosphere isn’t just a few outliers, but a multi-billion dollar grievance industry.
“The manosphere profits off the grievance and self-doubt of ill-defined masculinity,” she said.
“It’s estimated that these top ‘manfluencer’ creators can earn anywhere from $1 million to $10 million in annual revenue each, across platform payouts, sponsorship fees, from selling courses and memberships, and speaking fees.
“Of course, it’s part of social media’s profit model to earn money from its biggest creators. That’s exactly why recommendation system algorithms intentionally serve this traditionally fringe content to new users; to evoke strong feelings and gain their attention, whether out of harmless curiosity, or as rage bait.”
The result is a vicious cycle: misogynistic content drives engagement, engagement drives profit, and profit incentivises more of the same.
How Can We ‘Fix Our Feeds’?
In December 2025, Contos and her team at Teach Us Consent launched the ‘Fix our Feeds’ campaign asking the government to make social media algorithms an “opt-in” choice rather than the default setting.
At the Press Club today, she further urged the government to give Australians greater control over the content they are served online.
She believes this change will make social media safer for everyone, limiting unwanted exposure to hypersexualised content, disinformation and other harmful material.
“Addressing the harms of algorithms is in the benefit of the government as it addresses an array of emerging issues that have been raised across industries: exacerbating confirmation bias; damaging civil discourse; eating disorders; mental health; phone addiction; and misogyny,” she said.
Visit teachusconsent.com for more information and to add your name to the open letter to the Prime Minister.
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