Disrespect on Social Media
Social media shows young people a constant flow of disrespectful content that treat people – especially women and girls – badly. These messages come from influencers and online personalities with millions of followers. This content changes how young people think about relationships, men and women, and respect.
Some harmful messages are about:
- Men and women’s roles: Online groups called the “manosphere[1]” teach young men to trick or pressure women into sex. They make hateful talk about women seem normal. These influencers want to go back to old-fashioned ideas where men are in charge and women obey them.
- Treating women as objects: This content shows women as sneaky or dangerous. It dismisses how important women and girls are. Some treat women as things they own, not as equal human beings.
- Violence and control: “Pick-up artist” groups teach men tricks to emotionally control women and use physical force. Many of these groups indirectly encourage date rape, sexual assault and non-fatal strangulation as normal.
The Echo Chamber Effect
An “echo chamber” means that the same disrespectful messages are seen and heard over and over from different sources. When so many people in your online world say the same thing, it starts to feel normal and true – even when it’s harmful.
For example, Andrew Tate, a self-described misogynist and one of the most influential figures in the “manosphere”. He promotes men’s rights and proposes that women are men’s property and the use of coercion and violence are acceptable. This has real effects. Research from Monash University in 2023 found increased sexual harassment and hateful behaviour toward women teachers and girls in schools. Teachers said Tate directly influenced students, causing more sexism and sexual harassment in Australian classrooms.
In January 2023, “The Man Cave” (a mental health charity for boys and young men in Melbourne) surveyed 1,300 Australian teenage boys.[2] They found that 92% knew who Andrew Tate was. 25% looked up to him. 44% disagreed with him. 32% didn’t have strong feelings either way. Some young men saw him as helpful for building confidence. Others saw his attitudes toward women as disrespectful and harmful.
The Big Problem – Adults Aren’t There
Parents, teachers, and other trusted adults mostly aren’t part of these online conversations. They don’t see what young people watch. They don’t know which influencers kids follow. They often don’t understand the messages being spread. This means:
- Young people learn about relationships from strangers online, not from trusted adults
- Harmful attitudes go unchallenged
- There’s no voice saying “That’s not okay”
The Result – Growing Support for Control and Violence
Beliefs that excuse or normalize violence and disrespect are growing. For example:
- “She was asking for it”
- “Real men dominate women”
- “If she doesn’t listen, make her”
- “Consent is optional”
- “Controlling your partner shows you care”
This is Generational
When young people absorb these messages without anyone challenging them, they can grow up believing violence and disrespect are normal or even good – violence becomes part of that generation’s view of relationships creating the next generation of perpetrators and bystanders who allow it.
This is a serious problem affecting how young people think about and treat women and gender equality. We need more organizations and programs to counter these messages. We need healthier models of what it means to be a man – based on respect, empathy, and real confidence, not dominance and control.
Violence doesn’t start with violence. It starts with disrespect. By spotting and addressing disrespectful attitudes and behaviours early, we can stop them from turning into violence.