Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the worldSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailA third of boys think women’s rights are unimportant, a shocking new survey has revealed.The research, which will be presented to parliament on Thursday, also found that a third (32 per cent) of boys might consider an AI friendship, while more than half (53 per cent) find the online world more rewarding than the real world.Many boys were found to be turning to chatbots for emotional support, friendships and romantic relationships, with one saying, “I have AI friends and girlfriends, they are always there when you feel bored,” and another adding, “I talk to an AI app, it makes me feel like I’m not on my own.”Boys aged 11 to 15 were split between not trusting anything that is online because it is all fake, to saying that certain sexist voices are part of the “new system” because what they say comes true, according to the survey, with 82 per cent not trusting UK politicians either.Some mentioned they felt that girls are celebrated, but boys were often seen as part of the problem and that feminism tended to lead to boys being blamed, with 54 per cent believing boys have it harder than girls today.Lee Chambers, Founder and CEO of Male Allies UK, which produced the report, said the findings show “that a lack of guidance and trusted information means many are struggling to understand how to process the views they see every day, which is splitting opinion on some important subjects”.open image in galleryThe hit Netflix show Adolescence sparked conversations around the manosphere (Netflix)Speaking of the widespread mistrust of politicians, he also warned: “We need to take this mistrust seriously, because it’s going to affect the views that they have long into adulthood.”The survey, which involved polling 1032 boys across 37 British schools during the last academic year, comes at a time when conversations around concepts such as toxic masculinity and the manosphere are growing, especially after the release of the hit Netflix show Adolescence, with misogynistic influencers such as Andrew Tate gaining evermore traction.The manosphere is a network of communities that create, consume and distribute content online aimed at men and boys, which is all largely anti-feminist.Manosphere content is promoted by various influencers on popular social media platforms, the most notable of whom is Tate, who rose to fame in 2022. He and his brother Tristan are currently under investigation in Romania for charges of rape, human trafficking and money laundering, and in the UK for rape and human trafficking.In recent years, there have been a number of incidents of violence that have been linked to manosphere content, with these communities promoting violence or spreading harmful ideas about women and girls.open image in galleryAndrew Tate and his brother Tristan are currently under investigation in Romania for charges of rape, human trafficking and money laundering, and in the UK for rape and human trafficking (AP)This content also harms men and young boys, preying on vulnerabilities and insecurities to promote unrealistic expectations and extreme measures, which can lead to poor self-esteem, mental health problems and, in some cases, suicide.The new Boys In Schools report highlights this, revealing boys’ fears of the pressures of growing up in a modern world, and showing they are vulnerable to loneliness and misguidance as they struggle with the balance of real life and online influences. Two-thirds (64 per cent) said schools could do more to prepare them.Opinions on feminism and masculinity were mixed, suggesting that the topics are not properly explained or explored at school or at home. While 32 per cent said women’s rights are not very important, the majority of boys still thought women’s rights are important (45 per cent) or very important (23 per cent) in the world today.And one in five boys reported carrying out a male allyship action in the past month and were proud to talk about it, but they said it takes courage and can sometimes be difficult to call friends out on something.The vast majority (79 per cent) said it is not clear to them what masculinity is, with one boy saying that people always say what it should not be rather than what it is, and another boy echoing this with: “It’s toxic, that’s all I ever hear.”Mr Chambers said: “We hear a lot in the media about male toxicity and poor role models for boys, but it’s up to us to change that.“There’s often a tendency to leave boys to get on with it, but this report shows many of them feel frustrated at a lack of guidance and feel misunderstood.“We need to start paying more attention and tailoring support to boys’ needs and stop approaching it the same way we would have done 10 or 20 years ago. Listening to the boys of our future is more important now than ever before.”
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Third of boys think women’s rights are unimportant, survey reveals
