A clip of Anthony Albanese addressing parliament about cracking down further on the social media ban has gone viral – but not for the reason you might expect.

Speaking on Thursday, the Prime Minister advocated for expanding the country’s world-first under-16 social media ban.

He addressed growing concerns about young Australians being exposed to pornography, “nudify apps,” and violent material – key features of the online “manosphere,” an internet subculture defined by anti-feminist, misogynistic, and male supremacist ideologies.

The federal government plans to strengthen online safety laws amid mounting evidence that children are still accessing major platforms, more than six months after age restrictions were first introduced.

But it was the PM’s graphic description of algorithm-driven dangers that stopped Aussies mid-scroll.

“We know that algorithms drive people towards more and more extreme positions,” Mr Albanese told the House of Representatives.

“So they start off in a mainstream position – talking about ethnicity perhaps, or faith – and they end up, over a period of time, receiving in their inbox … Nazi-level propaganda, with calls for violence.”

He then detailed the physical toll of these extreme online pipelines.

“With some of these algorithms coming through, we’re seeing increased presentations in our hospitals of young women who have been choked, strangled. We see anal tearing growing at an extraordinary, horrific rate because what too many young men are seeing online is normalizing behavior that is anything but.”

‘Can’t be real’

On social media, viewers couldn’t get over the Prime Minister’s choice of words.

“Albo shouldn’t be dropping ‘anal tearing’ in parliament,” one user wrote.

“WTF did I just watch?” another confused viewer asked.

“This can’t be real … Surely the PM didn’t say that,” a third added.

The jarring comment even sparked immediate misinformation online, with one prominent X account falsely claiming the PM never said the phrase.

However, official records confirm he did.

The live speech is available on the official Australian parliament YouTube channel, and Hansard – the official written report of parliamentary proceedings – fully recorded the remarks.

While provocative, some believe the PM deliberately used confrontational language to get the public to pay attention to a critical issue.

Inside the ‘manosphere’

The viral moment comes as the “manosphere” gains significant traction in Australia, with a growing number of young men turning to “masculinity influencers.”

Recent research from men’s health charity Movember reveals that over two-thirds of young Australian men (68%) regularly engage with masculinity content.

While many young men report feeling motivated by these creators, the content carries a serious psychological toll.

According to the study, young men who regularly engage with masculinity influencers have worse overall mental health outcomes, with 27% reporting feelings of “worthlessness.”

They also report higher levels of risky health behaviors and hold more traditional, regressive attitudes towards women and relationship roles.

Public awareness of the dangerous subculture has spiked recently, driven in part by mainstream media coverage.

Earlier this year, a Louis Theroux documentary spotlighted the toxic, Andrew Tate-style “manosphere,” while the hit drama series Adolescence explored the dark realities of incel culture.

“While so many of the influencers in the ‘manosphere’ claim to provide young men and boys with a ‘cheat code’ to being successful, the reality is that this alleged success comes hand-in-hand with misogyny,” Isabelle Younane, Head of External Affairs at Women’s Aid, told news.com.au in March.

“Relationships must be rooted in consent and respect, and seeing the opposite promoted to so many children and young men is enormously disturbing. Misogyny is at the core of all violence against women and girls.”

The documentary exposed the extreme rhetoric of major “red pill” creators.

UK TikToker Harrison Sullivan (known online as HS Tikky Tokky) was filmed suggesting men should act as “dictators” in relationships, using highly derogatory language toward women and referring to a female employee as his “dishwasher.”

Similarly, American influencer Justin Waller, who boasts about his “one-way monogamous relationship” with his wife, questioned women’s contributions to society during the documentary, asking Theroux: “Look around … can you name anything that a woman has invented and built in plain sight?”