St Bede’s students discuss online pressures

The students spoke in the second episode of the “Under the Influence” series, which covered the impact of the so-called “manosphere” online.

Among the topics the St Bede’s students mentioned was how algorithms initially help them be more motivated to go to the gym – but also create a lot of pressure about how they should look.

The unrealistic body standards that have plagued girls for generations are now coming for boys, with algorithms driving content on peptides, “looksmaxxing” and the darker side of gym culture. A St Bede’s student questioned the research that has been done on some “peptides” used to enhance appearance.

Another student said that social media has a lot of males creating videos about how women should “show themselves”, keep company and dress in order to be “the one for you” or be “wife material”.

In this, women are oversimplified and depicted as only wanting money and status, and this was described as “very superficial”.

A St Bede’s student also noted that “you hear a lot that if you are not making the big money, then you are not doing well”.

But the students doubted that the creators of such content care about their audience. “We are just a way to get more money.”

“There’s this economic incentive,” said Dr Kris Taylor, an academic researcher and counsellor at the University of Auckland’s Centre for Addiction Research.

“It’s all about engagement farming, which relies on saying more and more outrageous things to get eyes on your content. And often that means saying the most sexist or most misogynistic thing that you can. But it’s also weaponising their anxiety.”

Dr Taylor said he wants to see more dialogue. Contrary to popular belief, he said, teenage boys do want to talk about their feelings – but they are not given enough opportunities to do so.

He also recommended “prebunking” certain ideas, to instil young men with ethical and moral values, to emphasise empathy and kindness, and celebrate those, and “then when you come into contact – as a 13-year-old – with lots of these guys on TikTok, you’ll go ‘oh well, these guys are out of touch – he has got his own ideas, but they are not for me’”.

This month, Pope Leo XIV advised children of Vatican employees and their families to limit their phone use.

“It is very important to build friendships – to spend time together, to play together, perhaps even to study together – as people, not as computers or machines, not as techno-robots. We are human beings; we are persons. Personal contact with others is very important.”

FULL STORY

How the manosphere is hurting NZ boys – Under the Influence, episode 2 (By Nadia Maxwell/New Zealand Herald)

Pope advises young people, families to limit phone use (Catholic World News)