'Manosphere' should be public health issue, report says

Researchers said the online “manosphere” should be treated as a public health issue similar to the tobacco industry, in a report published in The Lancet on Friday.

The report defines the manosphere as online communities united by shared beliefs about “masculinity, misogyny, and male victimisation.” It says the movement blames feminism for disadvantaging men and for what it presents as a masculinity crisis.

The report says the manosphere has health impacts, including on men's mental health and violence against women, and that it delegitimises men and boys seeking help.

Sarah J Hawkes, a University College London global public health professor and one of the authors, told BBC Radio 4 that treating the manosphere as a public health issue would open additional policy options. She called for a coordinated government response, including better access to skills, jobs and mental health services.

Hawkes also said people make money from manosphere messaging, including by encouraging boys and men to invest in financial schemes and buy unregulated supplements and hormones.

Co-author Kent Buse, a health policy professor at Monash University Malaysia, said online platforms used a similar approach to the tobacco industry by blaming individuals and calling regulation an attack on freedom.

“Boys and men are not the problem,” Buse said. “The problem is the conditions that leave them isolated and without a secure future, and the companies that profit from their anger and insecurity.”