4th April 2025
HEADLINES
By Dan Smith
Assistant Headteacher and Designated Safeguarding Lead
REFLECTIONS ON ‘ADOLESCENCE’ As a parent of two boys, I found the hit Netflix series ‘Adolescence’ harrowing viewing. However, it has been a great vehicle to raise awareness of safeguarding and the dangers of social media influence, particularly to discuss the dangers of toxic masculinity and the rise of the ‘incel’ subculture amongst teen boys. In addition, I hope that the show can act as a catalyst for a societal reflection on the causes of discontent amongst young men. The ‘incel’ culture is one component of the self-titled ‘manosphere’. This is a varied collection of online groups that promote masculinity and celebrate misogyny. A common theme held amongst groups is that society is biased against men due to the influence of feminism. Accepting that traditional society is shaped against men is known as ‘taking the red pill’, waking up to ‘reality’ like in the film ‘The Matrix’. There is a strong overlap between incel and other ‘manosphere’ groups and the far-right. However, the ‘manosphere’ is no longer a niche internet subculture, and the toxic masculinity promoted by people such as Andrew Tate (the third most googled person in the world in 2023) is now disturbingly mainstream online. In light of this, the challenge to be present in our own children’s online world and supporting our school community with this challenge is a great one. One common discussion I have had with people who have watched the series has been around the ‘secret language’ used by this online community. Police and a group called ‘For Working Parents’, an organisation which helps coach family communication, have issued a table entitled the ‘Periodic Table of sinister emojis’ by Amit Kalley, which highlights what different emojis might mean when used by children. The emojis listed include the “100” sign and pill emojis which are said to stand for “incel”, as well as two devil emojis and the ghost emoji for “anti-woman”.
However, it is very easy to blame the role of social media for all of society’s ills. The findings of a report by the Centre for Social Justice published in March 2025 entitled “The Lost Boys” convincingly argues that the negative impact of social media and Andrew Tate’s ilk are the symptoms, not the cause, of problems for young men. Statistics support the significance of the issues young men are facing in the UK. In education from nursery to university, boys are falling behind girls. Since the pandemic, the number of young men aged 16-24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) has increased by 40%, whereas it is 7% for young women. The gender pay gap has now been reversed for full time workers aged 16-24. As stated in this report, ‘every case of suicide is a tragedy and for young people between the ages of 15 and 19, for every girl that took their own life, almost three and a half boys did likewise’. This is not to downplay the challenges that young girls face, but to highlight that young men are struggling with their role in the world. So much has been taught, rightly, about ‘toxic masculinity’, but perhaps this has created a vacuum for what it means to be a boy and a man, and the ‘manosphere’ has swept into this vacuum. This report argues that as a society we must find a more hopeful vision for masculinity so that young men can thrive.