Op-Ed
How the Manosphere Reaches Teenage Boys
Most boys who have heard of Andrew Tate don’t view him positively. Exposure may matter more than fandom.
- Written by
- Zander Deutch
- Last updated
- This is for
- Allies & Partners
This summer, I interned at Lean In, researching the manosphere’s influence on teenage boys.
In short: Manosphere content reaches teenage boys whether or not they look for it. In a YouTube Shorts test, it was recommended to every account registered as a 16- to 18-year-old boy within 26 minutes. Most boys aren’t fans. But among boys who feel neutral about Andrew Tate, only 13% reject the claim that misogyny is exaggerated. That may shape what they think other boys believe.
Key numbers
- 19% of UK boys aged 9 to 16 who have heard of Andrew Tate view him positively. 31% are neutral.
- 26 minutes: how long it took for manosphere content to be recommended to every test account.
- 13% of boys who feel neutral about Tate reject the claim that misogyny’s prevalence is exaggerated.
- 84% to 72%: US 8th and 10th graders who agree women should have the same job opportunities as men, 2018 to 2023.
How quickly does manosphere content reach teenage boys?
Researchers set up YouTube Shorts accounts on ten blank phones registered as 16- to 18-year-old boys. Manosphere content was recommended to every account within 26 minutes.
It happened whether the account searched for male-centric terms or for general male-interest topics such as gym tips and comedy.
Do boys who dislike Andrew Tate still downplay misogyny?
Much of the public attention has focused on boys and men who support the manosphere, including Andrew Tate, Myron Gaines, and Sneako. A larger group gets less attention: boys who encounter the content without endorsing it. We call them the agnostic middle.
Among UK boys aged 9 to 16 who have heard of Tate, 19% have a positive opinion and 31% are neutral. The neutral group is just as likely as Tate’s fans to downplay misogyny. Only 13% of them reject the claim that misogyny’s prevalence is exaggerated.
The manosphere’s influence may not depend on turning boys into committed followers. It may work by making them less sure that misogyny is widespread, serious, or worth confronting.
Why does perceived consensus matter?
People often assume their peers hold more traditional views than they do. Nearly three-quarters of adults say housework should be shared equally, but only about half think most people in their country agree.
Manosphere content may add a louder signal of what men supposedly think. If neutral boys overestimate how much their peers share Tate’s views, they may be less willing to speak up against misogyny for fear of being alone.
Are teenage boys’ attitudes toward gender equality changing?
In the US, David Waldron’s analysis of Monitoring the Future, which has surveyed 8th and 10th graders since 1991, found that boys’ agreement that women should have the same job opportunities as men fell from 84% in 2018 to 72% in 2023. The measure had barely moved in the previous three decades.
What don’t we know yet?
The data can’t show which came first: whether the content makes boys doubtful, or whether doubtful boys seek out the content.
Either way, young men may be calibrating their sense of what men think from the loudest voices rather than the most common ones. Studies that only ask whether boys endorse extreme views are likely to miss this. Researchers need to measure shifting norm perception, not just manosphere consumption and affinity.
Frequently asked questions
How does the manosphere reach teenage boys?
In a YouTube Shorts test, manosphere content was recommended to every account registered as a 16- to 18-year-old boy within 26 minutes. This happened whether the account searched for male-centric terms or general topics like gym tips and comedy.
What percentage of teenage boys have a positive opinion of Andrew Tate?
Among UK boys aged 9 to 16 who have heard of him, 19% have a positive opinion of Andrew Tate and 31% are neutral.
Can boys who dislike Andrew Tate still be influenced by manosphere content?
Possibly. Only 13% of boys who feel neutral about Tate reject the claim that misogyny’s prevalence is exaggerated, similar to Tate’s fans. The data can’t show whether the content causes this or doubtful boys seek out the content.
Are teenage boys’ attitudes toward gender equality getting worse?
In US surveys of 8th and 10th graders, boys’ agreement that women should have the same job opportunities as men fell from 84% in 2018 to 72% in 2023, after barely moving for three decades.
Zander Deutch, Lean In Summer Intern
