In classrooms across Australia and beyond, a new and troubling force is making its presence felt: the manosphere. Once confined to shadowy corners of the internet, this loose network of online influencers and self-styled gurus has broken through to real-world spaces, shaping how young men and boys perceive themselves—and, more worryingly, how they view women. The impact is so pronounced that, on March 11, 2026, Monash University and the Australian National Research Organisation for Women's Safety (ANROWS) released a comprehensive guide aimed at helping teachers, schools, and young people recognize and counteract the manosphere’s growing influence.
The term "manosphere" refers to a sprawling ecosystem of online personalities who claim men and boys are the victims of modern gender equality. Their content, often laced with misogyny and calls to reassert patriarchal roles, has become a staple of social media feeds, particularly for adolescent boys. According to ABC News, the reach of these influencers is no longer theoretical: teachers are reporting a marked increase in anti-feminist behaviors, coded hand gestures, and even intimidation against female staff within school walls. "Teachers unequivocally tell us that things are getting worse for them and that process started … post the COVID era," said Dr. Stephanie Wescott, co-author of the new guide.
Female teachers, in particular, have described being taunted with phrases like "make me a sandwich," a not-so-subtle jab at traditional gender roles. Some have faced more direct forms of intimidation, including being circled by groups of boys in the schoolyard or even experiencing physical and sexual assault. The guide also revealed that one in four girls now feels unsafe at school due to boys' behaviors influenced by manosphere content. "We also hear that girls have become silent in classrooms and that in some settings they are afraid of speaking up," Dr. Wescott noted to ABC News.
The guide, developed by Monash University and ANROWS, is more than just a catalog of problems. It offers a roadmap for schools to reclaim their classrooms as safe spaces for all students. "We aren't just providing a report on the problem, we are providing a road map for school communities to recognise these tactics and reclaim the classroom as a safe space for everyone," said Dr. Tessa Boyd-Caine, CEO of ANROWS. The strategy emphasizes a whole-of-school approach, teaching critical thinking about online content and embedding respectful relationships programs into the curriculum.
Ben Vasiliou, who leads the mental health charity The Man Cave, has seen firsthand the effects of manosphere ideology. "The manosphere is promoting content that's about getting jacked, getting ripped, getting rich quick," Vasiliou told ABC News. "It's very anti-women, it's anti-gender equity, it's anti-gay and queer community." Yet, he cautions against a purely punitive approach: "Yes, we need accountability, and we need zero tolerance, but we also need space for messy, real-life conversations." Vasiliou believes that by engaging boys in honest discussions, educators and mentors can help them unpack and ultimately reject the toxic messages they encounter online. "We're seeing thousands of boys actually change their view from what they've seen online to hold a more nuanced and equitable view about the real world," he added.
The urgency of the issue is underscored by the rising popularity of manosphere influencers among young audiences. The phenomenon was thrust into mainstream consciousness by Louis Theroux’s recent Netflix documentary, Inside the Manosphere, which aired in early March 2026. As The Guardian reported, the documentary dives deep into the world of influencers like Harrison Sullivan—better known as "HSTikkyTokky"—who flaunts a lifestyle of wealth, fitness, and female attention to his hundreds of thousands of followers. Sullivan, who dropped out of university to sell online fitness programs and now streams provocative content on platforms like TikTok and Kick, openly admits that controversy is good for business. "With the attention, I can get more fame [and] monetise," he told Theroux. He claims not to believe the offensive things he says but sees them as tools to "profit off it."
Theroux’s documentary paints a bleak picture behind the glamorous façade. Influencers like Sullivan are locked in a relentless cycle of content creation, constantly seeking new ways to provoke and entertain their audiences. The influencer economy, valued at $21.1 billion in 2023, is a goldmine for those who can capture attention—but it comes at a cost. As The Guardian points out, "life as an influencer is often banal and just as much of a trap as the standard nine-to-five." For many, the pursuit of fame and fortune becomes all-consuming, leaving little room for genuine relationships or personal growth.
The documentary also highlights a disturbing trend: the normalization of misogyny and other forms of hate as mere tools for engagement. "For many in the manosphere, the misogyny seems almost besides the point. Like racism, homophobia or antisemitism, it serves only as a button to press to generate attention and profit," wrote The Guardian. Yet, the impact on impressionable viewers is very real. A recent international study by King’s College London, cited by Woman & Home, found that 31% of Gen Z men believe wives should obey their husbands—more than double the rate among Baby Boomers. The documentary’s uncomfortable scenes, in which young boys parrot hateful rhetoric to their idols, underline just how deeply these ideas are penetrating youth culture.
Parents and educators are left grappling with how to respond. Woman & Home columnist Debra Waters described watching the documentary with her teenage son, noting his shock at the influencers' attitudes and the discomfort of women featured onscreen. Waters urges open, nonjudgmental conversations with young people about the content they encounter online. White Ribbon, a leading charity focused on preventing violence against women and girls, recommends listening first and treating discussions as dialogues rather than lectures. "Don’t make boys feel like they can’t talk about how they’re feeling or what they’re thinking; hear what they’ve got to say and treat it as a discussion, even if you don’t agree," White Ribbon CEO Lynne Elliot advised.
While the manosphere’s allure is partly rooted in economic and social frustration—declining social mobility, stagnant wages, and a sense of alienation—its solutions are ultimately hollow. Influencers promise "cheat codes to win at life," but for most, these shortcuts lead nowhere. As Dr. Boyd-Caine observed, "misogynistic content is really shaping boys and young men's attitude to women. And those are the attitudes that we see are really present in violence against women and children."
There are no easy fixes, but the coordinated efforts of schools, families, and community organizations offer hope. By fostering critical thinking, respectful dialogue, and genuine connection, society can begin to push back against the tide of toxic masculinity and reclaim the promise of equality for the next generation.