Top News

Nowadays, social media is much more prevalent in adolescents’ lives, especially teenage boys. Most parents have absolutely no idea what their teenagers are looking at all day long while they’re scrolling on their phones or staying up at all hours of the night on their computers. 

A survey from Common Sense Media found that most teenage boys are not engaging with content that’s healthy for them on social media. In fact, it’s the reason why so many of them are falling down the “red pill” pipeline and are being indoctrinated into hate groups that end up doing more harm than good.

A survey found that teen boys are subjected to social media content promoting unhealthy ideals about masculinity.

According to the research, if your adolescent son is online, he’s almost certainly seeing content that promotes masculinity and suggests troubling things about girls. Most boys, 73%, see content about “digital masculinity” regularly, which includes posts about fighting, building muscles, and making money. 

Boys who tend to engage in this kind of content have been found to have decreased self-esteem and are more often lonelier. They’re more likely to hide their feelings and believe they shouldn’t express emotions, such as crying or showing fear. 

: 3 Significant Ways Social Media Affects Teens With Mental Health Conditions Differently, According To New Study

Most boys aren’t going online to seek out ‘digital masculinity’ content.

“A small handful said that they were actually looking for this,” explained Michael Robb, lead author of the study and head of research at Common Sense Media, a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that helps parents and teachers instill critical thinking skills in children. “Sixty-eight percent said that the content just started showing up in their feeds without them searching for it.”

Kazakova Yana | Shutterstock

Researchers have concluded that most algorithms have learned that adolescent boys are usually receptive to this kind of content, so they push it so it’ll appear on their feeds. An estimated 91% of teenage boys are seeing messages about body image or appearance, like dressing in a certain way and having clear skin. Those with high exposure to these messages are more than four times as likely to say social media makes them think they should change their appearance.

On top of that, 69% of boys also regularly see content promoting gender roles in problematic ways, such as posts suggesting girls prefer to date a particular kind of guy or use their looks to achieve their goals. 

: The Common Parenting Style That Creates Angry, Anxious Kids, According To Research

Most young men are also no longer identifying with liberal politics.

A poll from NBC News found the partisan divide between men and women ages 18 to 29 to be wider than that of any other age range, with 53% of Gen Z women identifying as Democrats, compared with just 35% of Gen Z men. 

On the other hand, 38% of young men surveyed called themselves Republicans, versus just 20% of young women. For many teen boys and young adult men, these times are quite isolating and lonely for them, which is why many turn to red pill content and conservative views.

“Many young men feel disempowered or left behind in a world where traditional male roles are no longer guaranteed,” explained Paromita Pain, PhD, an associate professor of global media at the University of Nevada, Reno. “This simplicity feels comforting in contrast to the ambiguity of real life. Many young men feel directionless, especially in a digital age where friendships and communities are fragmented. The red pill community provides a brotherhood — a group where they feel seen, validated, and part of something larger than themselves.”

The best thing parents can do is make sure they’re having conversations with their young boys about the problematic content that they may be interacting with on social media. You shouldn’t just assume that your teenager is able to discern between what’s right and what’s wrong when it’s being pushed down their throats and flooding their feeds. 

: Dad Thanks Reddit For Genius Parenting Tip He Received 14 Years Ago That Made Him ‘Look Like Parent Of The Year’

Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.