{"id":26169,"date":"2026-01-30T15:25:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T19:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.equimundo.org\/?p=26169"},"modified":"2026-02-02T16:43:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T20:43:19","slug":"what-is-my-son-seeing-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.equimundo.org\/pt\/what-is-my-son-seeing-online\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is My Son Seeing Online, and How Can I Help Him Make Sense of It?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you are raising a boy today, you may have found yourself asking a question that feels impossible to answer:<\/span><\/p>\n

“What is my son seeing online?<\/em>“<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Not what you assume he is watching. What is he being fed, minute by minute, by corporate algorithms designed to keep him scrolling?<\/span><\/p>\n

In a <\/span>estudar<\/span><\/a> from Dublin City University\u2019s Anti Bullying Centre, researchers found that boys and young men were exposed to misogynistic content within the first 23 minutes of scrolling on social media. That is the length of a short walk. One episode of a sitcom. The time it takes to start dinner.<\/span><\/p>\n

So when parents ask, \u201chow did my kid end up here?<\/em>,\u201d the answer is often unsettling: the online systems he uses were designed to surface this content to him. We can try to respond with monitoring and restriction. Boundaries and safety settings matter. But even the most engaged parent cannot keep pace with algorithms that never stop.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is not surprising, then, that governments are stepping in. Australia recently moved forward with a <\/span>social media ban<\/span><\/a> for young people under 16, and <\/span>the UK has proposed restrictions<\/span><\/a> of its own. Yet bans do not mitigate harms once you begin using the platform. Social media companies must be held accountable for the harms their products create and amplify.<\/span><\/p>\n

But caregivers cannot legislate the internet from the kitchen table. What they can do is strengthen how boys interpret what they see online. That is digital literacy. Addressing boys\u2019 digital literacy is therefore not about shifting concern away from others, but about confronting the parallel and interconnected harm that shapes the online ecosystem as a whole.<\/span><\/p>\n

Equimundo\u2019s State of American Men 2023<\/span><\/a> report puts it plainly: online spaces are now the primary place young men spend their time. Boys are living online. They are building identity, looking for belonging, and learning what to value there. The internet is ready to offer them a script. Too often, that script is built on rigid gender norms, that can fuel resentment, and exploit insecurities to capture boys\u2019 attention and keep them coming back for more. This is a key feature of what we call the <\/span>manosfera<\/span><\/a>. It is not one influencer or one niche forum. It is an ecosystem. It pulls boys in via topics they are searching for: body image and fitness, video games, dating, loneliness, mental health. What starts as \u201cself improvement\u201d can quickly turn into messaging that teaches boys who deserves respect and who deserves contempt.<\/span><\/p>\n

Equimundo\u2019s Manosphere Rewired<\/span><\/a> report captures what is happening in real time: amid rapid social, political, and economic change, young men are turning to the internet for belonging and to find communities that speak to their unique identities, interests, and fears. The manosphere fills a messaging void for boys\u2019 questions and insecurities, but it can have real world consequences in terms of violence toward themselves and others, mental health, and anti-democratic trends.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the biggest challenges is that adults often miss what this content looks like in real time. Misogyny does not always show up as obvious hate. Sometimes it shows up as \u201cmotivation.\u201d Sometimes as \u201cbrutal honesty.\u201d Sometimes it shows up as a joke that teaches boys what to mock, what to dismiss, and what to blame.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the guidance boys need is often missing. Most adults did not grow up with this version of the internet. Few have been given practical tools for how to talk to boys about what they are seeing and how it is shaping them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trends and algorithms move too fast for anyone to \u201ckeep up\u201d through monitoring or restricting alone. We cannot catch every piece of harmful content. But we can help boys build the skills to recognize it, question it, and resist it.<\/span><\/p>\n

That is the moment we are in. And it is why Equimundo, Amaze, and Futures Without Violence have teamed up to build something designed to meet it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Drawing on the work of the <\/span>Laborat\u00f3rio LinkUp<\/span><\/a>, we\u2019re creating five videos for young people on manosphere related themes, paired with a resource hub for adults. Not a lecture. Not a panic button. Practical tools for parents, educators, and mentors who want to open a conversation and respond without causing shame or escalation.<\/span><\/p>\n

The five topics our videos and tools will cover are:<\/strong><\/p>\n