London Mayor Sadiq Khan warns of a ‘lost generation’ of young men
Key Points
- London Mayor Sadiq Khan has criticised the manosphere for risking the creation of a 'lost generation' of young men.
- He has come out in favour of a social media ban for under-16s and has called on Ofcom to more strictly enforce the Online Safety Act.
- Khan said society must reject misogynistic influencers and reclaim a healthy idea of masculinity to improve the position of young men in London and the wider UK.
Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan has blamed the manosphere for cultivating “a lost generation of young men”, urging government and regulators to crack down on toxic male influencers.
Speaking at an event in London today, Khan demanded that social media platforms take responsibility for the algorithms that are pushing hateful and misogynistic content to young men’s feeds.
He also made clear that he would support a ban for under 16s accessing social media and called on Ofcom, the communications regulator, to crack down on platforms that are violating the Online Safety Act.
Khan said that social media platforms are actively rewarding and encouraging the spread of online hate through algorithms that incentivise shocking and engaging content.
“These manosphere voices aren’t just allowed to pump out poison, They’re rewarded for it by a system that’s rigged in their favour,” Khan said.
“This kind of content can be catastrophic for the young men who consume it, but its consequences for the women in their lives are terrifying, too.”
“It’s time for companies to explain how misogyny spreads like wildfire on their platforms — and publicly set out how they’ll adjust their algorithms to stop it. If they refuse to act, then the state must step up,” he said.
Social media and young men in London
Polling shows that 55% of Londoners say social media is harmful for people under 18, with only 6% saying that it is good for them.
Just 17% of Londoners think young men and boys have access to enough positive role models, and 71% of young men in London say they face pressure to meet societal expectations of “being a man”.
Khan said the manosphere exploits this pressure, calling out its influencers as “snake oil salesmen who take advantage of young men’s ambition to peddle pound shop misogyny”.
He said that society has ceded too much ground on masculinity to these influencers, and called on tech companies and the government to take action and help young men relearn healthy masculinity free from the pressure of online misogynists.
The government is currently investigating the feasibility of a social media ban for children under the age of 16, a measure for which Khan has now come out strongly in support.
“From food to pharmaceuticals, almost every company has to prove that its products are safe before they’re sold. I see no reason why social media firms shouldn’t do the same,” he said.
“Until they can prove that their platforms are safe for kids, a ban is the only way to stem the harms we know are happening right now.”
Khan has announced a new £1-million package of measures to support young men and boys in London, including providing training for fathers and schools to tackle manosphere ideology.
He also launched a new public awareness campaign which will centre on TikTok and invite popular streamers to engage in ways that highlight positive aspects of masculinity.
