Why are so many boys feeling angry, numb, lonely or adrift — and who’s rushing in to offer them answers?

In this conversation, Lucy Johnston speaks with Mark Brooks OBE, chair of the Mankind Initiative and a leading voice on men’s wellbeing and healthy masculinity. Together they explore why some boys and young men are getting pulled towards misogynistic online influencers, and what parents, carers, schools and communities can actually do about it.

We talk about:

• The “manosphere”: why some content hooks boys in, and why most boys don’t actually believe the worst of it
• Loneliness, shame and quiet sedation — boys disappearing into their bedrooms instead of acting out
• Pornography, gambling and algorithms that keep pushing harmful content
• Suicide risk in boys and young men, and why so many reach crisis before anyone realises
• The impact of school, role models and male identity (including why boys often feel judged before they’ve done anything wrong)
• How to talk to a teenage boy you’re worried about, without pushing him further away
• Why “toxic masculinity” is not helping, and what boys actually need instead: possibilities, pathways and people on their side
• How dads, foster carers and male carers can change a boy’s life simply by being present, hopeful and consistent

Key message from Mark Brooks: if we don’t listen to boys, someone else will — and that “someone else” is already online, waiting.

About our guest
Mark Brooks OBE is chair of the Mankind Initiative and a long-standing campaigner on men’s mental health, inclusion and safety. He works nationally on issues including male suicide, domestic abuse, healthy masculinity and support for boys.

About Family Talks
Family Talks is a Care Visions series about what really helps children and young people to thrive. We speak honestly with people working on the front line of care, mental health, education and community.

If you’re worried about a boy in your care

• Stay close, stay curious, not accusatory
• Keep reminding him you’re on his side
• Help him get offline and back into real-world connection: sport, outdoors, purpose, belonging
  If you believe someone is at immediate risk of harm, seek urgent professional support.