Online communities built on hatred of women are radicalizing men and boys at an alarming rate. Incels, the Red Pill, Andrew Tate, and their networks are not fringe anymore. They are in your sons' feeds, your daughters' relationships, and your communities. Here is what we are up against and what we can do.
The manosphere is a network of online communities united by the belief that women have too much power and that men are the real victims of modern society. It ranges from Men's Rights Activists who file legal complaints, to Pick Up Artists who treat women as objects to be manipulated, to incels who openly celebrate and encourage violence against women. This is not about lonely young men venting online. It is an organized, algorithmically amplified ideology that has produced mass shooters, domestic abusers, and a generation of boys who are being taught that women's autonomy is an attack on them. It is a women's issue. It is a safety issue. And it requires our attention.
The entry point. Fitness, money, and dating advice packaged with increasingly misogynistic messaging. Boys encounter this content without searching for it due to algorithmic recommendations on TikTok and YouTube.
Ideology that frames feminism as a conspiracy against men. Teaches men to view women as manipulative, hypergamous, and unworthy of respect. Often a gateway to more extreme content.
The most violent element of the manosphere. Incels blame women for their lack of romantic success and openly discuss violence against women as justified revenge. The ADL has documented at least 47 murders connected to incel ideology in North America.
Operate through legal and political channels to roll back women's protections. They target domestic violence laws, rape shield protections, and reproductive rights — framing equality as discrimination against men.
Sources: ADL Incel Backgrounder 2025 · Center for Countering Digital Hate 2024 · UN Women Explainer 2024
Incel-inspired attacks have killed dozens of people. The 2025 Antioch High School shooting in Nashville was carried out by a registered incel forum user who posted about wanting to harm women.
Manosphere ideology is increasingly cited in domestic abuse cases. Men who consume this content are more likely to use controlling behavior, emotional abuse, and physical violence against partners.
Women who speak publicly, especially about feminism or gender issues, face coordinated campaigns of harassment, threats, and doxxing organized through manosphere communities.
59% of boys aged 11 to 17 encounter manosphere content without actively searching for it. Algorithms push it to them. Within 23 minutes of signing up, male-identified accounts are fed extremist content.
Sources: ADL 2025 · Refuge UK 2026 · Dublin City University Study 2024 · UN Women UK 2026
rise in incel-related online threats since 2020 per ADL data
is how long before male-identified accounts are fed extremist manosphere content on TikTok and YouTube
of young men on YouTube encounter manosphere content weekly per 2025 research
Sources: ADL 2025 · Bonfire Leadership Solutions 2025 · Dublin City University 2024
Ask what they are watching. Learn the language — blackpill, redpill, sigma, hypergamy, foid. If you hear these terms, do not panic but do have a direct conversation. Disconnection and loneliness are the entry points. Connection is the antidote.
Use every platform's reporting tools when you see content that dehumanizes women or encourages violence. It takes 30 seconds. Mass reporting works. The Center for Countering Digital Hate at counterhate.com tracks platform responses and you can add your voice.
Organizations like Life After Hate (lifeafterhate.org), the Global Network on Extremism and Technology, and the UK's Moonshot CVE are working directly with radicalized men to help them exit these communities. They need funding and awareness.
Red flags include a partner who uses dehumanizing language about women, believes women owe men sexual access, tracks your location or communications, isolates you from friends, or quotes manosphere content. Trust what you observe. These ideologies escalate.
Contact your congressional representatives and ask them to support algorithmic transparency legislation that would require platforms to disclose how content is recommended. The EU's Digital Services Act of 2024 is a model. The U.S. needs to catch up.
Read the ADL's incel backgrounder at adl.org, the UN Women explainer at unwomen.org, and the Center for Countering Digital Hate's manosphere report at counterhate.com. Then share them. An informed woman is a protected woman.
You do not have to figure out how to organize alone. When you sign up below, here is exactly what I do: I review your location and cause interests, personally match you with women in your area who signed up for the same issues, and reach out by email to make the introduction. From there I help facilitate whether that looks like an in-person meetup, a virtual panel, a community awareness talk, or a local event. I handle the coordination. I send the resources. I make the connections. All you have to do is sign up and show up.
Many women have experienced manosphere-influenced behavior from men in their lives but have no language for it. Host conversations — in person or online — where women can name what they have experienced, share warning signs, and support each other.
Mothers are often the first people who notice radicalization. Build community with moms of young men — share resources on warning signs, media literacy, and how to talk to boys about what they are consuming online without pushing them away.
Women who talk about the manosphere publicly are frequently targeted for harassment. Show up for them — share their content, report harassment on their behalf, and make it clear that attacks on one woman will be met with the voices of many.
Contact your local school board and ask what media literacy curriculum is being taught. Advocate for programs that teach young people how algorithms work, how to identify radicalization pathways, and what healthy masculinity looks like.
If you are in a relationship with someone consuming this content, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available at 1-800-799-7233 or thehotline.org. If you witness threatening online behavior toward women, report it to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
Understanding the manosphere does not mean excusing it. Loneliness is real. Male mental health is real. And none of that justifies hatred of women or violence. We can hold both truths at once. We can have compassion for men who are struggling while being absolutely clear that the communities exploiting that struggle are dangerous and that women's lives are not acceptable casualties of someone else's pain. Stay informed. Stay connected. And protect each other.
Fill in your info below and I will personally reach out with resources on staying safe, understanding these ideologies, and connecting with women who are organizing around gender-based safety in your area. You will not be left on a list. You will hear from me.
I want to: (choose all that apply)
No spam, ever. Unsubscribe anytime.
Thank you for taking this seriously. Every woman who understands this issue is one more woman who can protect herself and the women around her. Check your email. You will hear from me directly.
Share this with 3 women. Information shared between women saves lives.