Sutherland Shire family support network The Family Co, is offering a real alternative to online influencers. Mentors like James Smith are assisting with a healthier path for young men. Picture supplied

In an era where digital algorithms often dictate the values of the next generation, a quiet but powerful shift is occurring within Sutherland Shire.

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Recent data from the Movember Foundation reveals a striking reality: two-thirds of young men are now regularly engaging with "masculinity influencers" online. These digital spaces, collectively known as the "manosphere," span fitness forums, gaming networks, and podcast loops, offering what many young men are starving for: direction, community, and a sense of identity.

"What makes the manosphere so appealing is it promises a formula for 'guaranteed' success: physically, sexually and financially," eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said. "This is a very potent and alluring promise, especially when someone is dealing with the ordinary turbulence and insecurities of adolescence."

However, this digital promise often carries a dark price. A 2025 ANROWS report found these discourses are filtering into Australian classrooms, normalising controlling and violent behaviours among students. National security agency ASIO has even flagged links between specific "incel" ideologies and the potential for real-world violence.

Against this backdrop of rising hostile sexism and reports of increased nervousness and worthlessness among young men, The Family Co has been working for more than 38 years to provide a healthier alternative. Through their Child, Youth and Family services, they offer young people the consistency and safety of real-world mentors who prove that relationships can be built on respect rather than dominance.

"What I see at The Family Co gives me a lot of hope," James Smith, a Child, Youth and Family team leader, said. "When you sit with a young person and open up a conversation about relationships, respect, and what it actually means to be a good man, something shifts. They're not disengaged; they just haven't always had someone offer it to them in a way that feels real."

James said that their school-based programs focus on "meeting them where they are and giving them something the algorithm never will: a genuine human conversation about what healthy connection looks like."

The organisation's reach extends far beyond the classroom and into the professional world through their "Toolbox Talks." This program brings domestic-violence prevention training directly into Australian workplaces, teaching both men and women how to challenge the attitudes that allow violence to persist before a situation reaches a crisis point.

The community's commitment to this cause was on full display last December during the inaugural Men for Change breakfast. Held during the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, the event featured a diverse panel including Cronulla Sharks Chief Executive Dino Mezzatesta, school principal Peter Buxton, and NSW MP Mark Speakman. The presence of leaders like Sutherland Shire Mayor Jack Boyd and MPs David Moncrieff and Simon Kennedy signalled a unified, cross-community front against the harmful rhetoric of the manosphere.

"Male voices are vital in shaping a culture where violence is never tolerated and equality thrives," Ashleigh Daines, chief executive of The Family Co, said. "Every man can be part of the solution-and education and allyship are key enablers of change."

While The Family Co receives an average of 400 local referrals per month for domestic and family violence support, assisting more than 16,000 people across the shire annually, the focus is increasingly on prevention.

Ms Daines said that while government funding is vital, it is often limited in scope. Discretionary funding from the community is what allows the organisation to reach those who fall between the lines, such as young men who are struggling but don't yet meet the criteria for a crisis referral.

"The manosphere is a symptom of something real: young men who are lonely, searching for identity, and not finding what they need in the spaces around them," Ms Daines said. "That is not a problem unique to the internet. It is a community challenge. And it has a community response."