Alistair Strathern has voiced his concerns about the so-called manosphere.
Men in the UK need better protections against misogynistic content creators, according to an MP.
The issue of harmful online content has been thrown into the spotlight in recent weeks following the release of Louis Theroux’s new Netflix documentary, Inside the Manosphere, and Alistair Strathern, the MP for Hitchin, believes it serves as another reminder that “some of the worst of the internet can prey on young men and boys”.
He said: “These harms are not just done to men and boys. This is a harm that impacts the women and girls in their life too. We are all losing out as a result of the failure to protect men and boys from some of the risks they face in the online world.”
Strathern has called on Ofcom, the UK regulator, to do more to better protect young men.
He explained: “I think that the challenge to them is to show they’re taking this seriously.
“When there is clear evidence around the gendered aspects of harms affecting boys and men, as well as women and girls, and their job is to keep all of us safe on the internet, we think there’s a gap that they need to step up and act on.”
An Ofcom spokesperson suggested that sufficient measures, like the Online Safety Act, are already in place.
The spokesperson told the Guardian newspaper: “Our guidance encourages tech companies to use educational and preventive approaches that help reduce online abuse.”
MP calls for better protections against ‘manosphere’
