ILLUSTRATION - 10 February 2026, Berlin: A young man films himself in the mirror with his cell phone while tensing his biceps. Photo: Elisa Schu/dpa (Photo by Elisa Schu/picture alliance via Getty Images)

dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images

For today’s boys and young men, lessons about masculinity are increasingly coming not from fathers, coaches, or teachers, but from TikTok creators, YouTube influencers, podcasters, and algorithm-driven social media feeds.

Some of those messages encourage emotional openness, connection, and self-improvement while others push young men toward rigid ideals centered on dominance, physical perfection, or resentment. And because these messages arrive during some of the most formative years of adolescence, they are having a major influence on how boys see themselves and the world around them.

“Social media has become a key space where boys and young men learn what it means to ‘be a man’—and that can both support and harm their health,” says Dr. Jason Nagata, a pediatrician and researcher at the University of California, San Francisco.

In a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health, lead author Nagata and his research team examine how social media is shaping boys’ mental health, relationships, and sense of identity.

What the research reveals about boys online

Rather than focusing on a single study, the research reviews a broad range of existing studies on how boys and young men engage with “masculine content” online.

“Our paper shows that these online spaces exist on a spectrum,” Nagata explains. “On one end, there are supportive communities that promote connection, caregiving, and help-seeking," he says. On the other, he adds, there’s more extreme content that reinforces rigid gender hierarchies and even misogyny.

That distinction matters because social media now functions as a major source of social learning for many boys who actively follow creators focused on masculinity, fitness, self-improvement, relationships, and even dating advice.

In healthier spaces, boys are using social media to discuss topics they may struggle to talk about offline, including grief, mental health, relationships, and loneliness. Nagata says such interactions can reduce isolation and even help normalize emotional vulnerability.

But he says the same platforms can also amplify more harmful messages, especially because algorithms tend to reward provocative, divisive, or emotionally charged content.

The rise of looksmaxxing and the manosphere

Two of the most concerning trends highlighted in the paper are “looksmaxxing” and the broader emphasis on the “manosphere.”

“Looksmaxxing refers to the practice of trying to maximize one’s physical attractiveness,” Nagata explains. “It often focuses on things like jawline shape, eye appearance, muscularity, skin, and height, and has been popularized on platforms like TikTok.”

While some of that content resembles ordinary fitness or grooming advice, his team notes that more extreme corners encourage obsessive appearance-based comparisons and even normalizing risky behaviors and interventions. Nagata says these include anabolic steroids like testosterone or Anavar—which can increase risks of heart attack, stroke, and liver and kidney damage—as well as invasive cosmetic procedures "such as jaw surgery or limb-lengthening.”

The “manosphere,” meanwhile, refers to a loose collection of online communities and spaces "that promote rigid ideas about masculinity, relationships, and male-dominating status,” Nagata says. “In some areas, it overlaps with looksmaxxing content that emphasizes an idealized version of male attractiveness and ties it directly to social success.”

Researchers warn that repeated exposure to messages equating male worth with dominance, appearance, or status can distort how boys understand relationships, emotional health, and even their own bodies.

The overlooked upside of social media

Despite such concerns, Nagata emphasizes his research does not show that social media is inherently harmful. “Our paper highlights that social media is not only a source of risk but may also be an important space where boys and young men can build connection, identity, and support,” he says.

That may be especially true for boys who lack strong male role models in their homes or communities.

For such young men, online communities can function as “digital neighborhoods,” as Nagata calls them, where youth maintain friendships, discuss personal struggles, and explore aspects of identity more openly than they might in person. The research also suggests that when athletes, influencers, or other public figures speak openly about mental health, it can encourage boys and young men to seek help themselves.

So the takeaway isn’t necessarily to ban social media outright, but for parents to think carefully about appropriate ages for social media use and to help children learn how to engage with online content more critically and safely once they start using social media platforms.

“Building digital literacy is key,” Nagata says, "as adolescents often struggle to distinguish credible information from misinformation online, where popularity can be mistaken for expertise.” That means encouraging young people to ask questions about the content they consume: Who created this? What are they trying to sell? Is there evidence behind these claims?

Nagata also encourages parents to have ongoing conversations with their children about which influencers and podcasters they follow and the messages they are promoting. “That can further open the door to more critical thinking about what they are seeing," he says, "helping parents support their sons in optimizing benefits while minimizing risks related to harmful and hateful content."