Hitchin MP urges Ofcom to act against online harms targeting men and boys
MPs advocate for new guidance to protect young males from ‘manosphere’ influences
Alistair Strathern, MP for Hitchin, is leading over 60 MPs in a call for Ofcom to extend its online safety guidance to protect men and boys from harmful ‘manosphere’ content.
The MPs have written to Ofcom's Chief Executive, Dame Melanie Dawes, requesting a framework for platforms to monitor and mitigate risks specifically faced by males, in addition to the guidance already provided for women and girls under the Online Safety Act.
Despite requests from groups like the Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys, Ofcom has yet to act, as the current legislation does not mandate this step.
The Labour MP says Louis Theroux's "Inside the Manosphere” highlighted that teenage boys face exposure to radical content online, including far-right influences, crypto scams, and violent pornography.
In his role as co-chair of the Labour Group for Men and Boys, Strathern is urging for urgent measures.
He said: “Men and boys in Hitchin deserve better than the exploitative extremes peddled to them online. For safety and wellbeing, Ofcom must provide clear guidance to platforms monitoring harmful content targeting males.”
Research shows while harmful content reaches both genders similarly, males experience distinct risks needing different strategies.
For example, 53% of boys aged 11-17 are exposed to gambling adverts weekly versus 31% of girls. Males are predominantly affected by financial risks like cryptocurrency ownership, with 70% being male owners.
Additionally, sextortion overwhelmingly impacts males, with male victims making up 91% according to the Internet Watch Foundation.
An Ofcom spokesperson said: “We recognise that online harms affect men and boys as well as women and girls, and that some issues – such as sextortion – can disproportionately impact them.
“While the Online Safety Act requires us to produce guidance addressing harms that disproportionately affect women and girls, we are clear that the protections we’re putting in place are designed to benefit anyone experiencing online abuse, including harassment and stalking.
“We also know that exposure to harmful online content can negatively affect boys, which is why our codes require services to protect them from being exposed to pornographic, hateful and abusive content. And our guidance encourages tech companies to use educational and preventative approaches that help reduce online abuse.”