Louis Theroux’s Manosphere documentary is more terrifying than Adolescence

Louis Theroux’s Manosphere documentary is more terrifying than Adolescence

Last night, after finally getting my energetic children to bed, I settled in to view Louis Theroux’s Netflix documentary, Inside the Manosphere. Though the subject matter feels all too familiar to my sons, aged 8 and 10, the programme was undeniably unsuitable for family viewing. It featured expletives, prejudice, and displays of cruelty that left me unsettled.

In the opening minutes, I was bombarded with statements like, “A man who’s not dangerous will never be seen as successful. You can’t be a little b***h,” and “Men against women. It’s an attack on masculinity.” One particularly chilling line: “If your b***h is going to a club when you said no, destroy her f***ing life.”

“A man who’s not dangerous will never be seen as successful. You can’t be a little b***h.”

“Men against women. It’s an attack on masculinity.”

“If your b***h is going to a club when you said no, destroy her f***ing life.”

By the time the film reached its halfway mark, I was worse off than before. The portrayal of toxic masculinity in the digital realm left me feeling anxious and despondent. This insidious ideology, which has taken root in parts of the internet, threatens to seep into my sons’ lives, shaping their perceptions of strength and success.

Like many parents, I watched Adolescence last year, initially comforted by the knowledge that its tale of a radicalised teen stabbing a schoolmate was fictional. Yet the real-life misogynists featured in the manosphere documentary—Harrison Sullivan (HSTikkyTokky), Myron Gaines, and Nicolas Kenn De Balinthazy (Sneako)—were far more unsettling. Their rhetoric, laced with hatred, felt disturbingly tangible.

These individuals, armed with wealth and influence, seemed to revel in teaching young boys that misogyny, bigotry, and belittling others are the keys to financial gain and social approval. I watched in horror as they reduced women to their physical attributes, declaring one’s worth was tied to “a vagina and titties,” and mocked another for being “an embarrassment” because of her weight. They also embraced antisemitic conspiracy theories, adding to their toxic appeal.

Theroux, the father of three sons, served as the ideal guide through this seedy world. His usual approach involves stepping back, allowing his subjects to reveal their malevolence. In contrast to the confident, muscled young men he interviewed, Theroux’s middle-aged, mild-mannered, and bespectacled presence highlighted the absurdity of the situation.

There were moments of hope, though. A scene that lingered in my mind showed Theroux speaking with Sullivan’s mother, who scolded her son for his sexist views. She appeared stunned that he could so casually belittle women, despite his limited experience with them. It was a reminder of how quickly even those with nurturing maternal roles can become complicit in harmful ideologies.

Notably absent from the documentary was Andrew Tate, the self-proclaimed misogynist-in-chief. My sons and I live in Bucharest, Romania, and friends have spotted him driving around in his sports cars. Whether in our city or on a screen, such figures are intensifying their push to reshape the values my boys embrace.

At eight and ten, my sons are highly impressionable. The materialistic lifestyles depicted—lavish cash, sleek Mediterranean villas, endless parties, and athletic bodies—were undeniably appealing to young men. These chauvinists often masked their harmful views with a “cheeky chappie” charm, similar to the YouTubers my sons admire: gamers like Foltyn and Ali-A, or personalities like MrBeast, who have had their own controversies.

While I try to curate hate-free content for my sons, the challenge grows daily. Even seemingly harmless videos sell a laddish vibe that they eagerly imitate. To me, this feels like the start of a dangerous trend, one I can’t easily reverse. The programme’s impact is clear: it’s a reminder of how deeply these manosphere figures have infiltrated my children’s world.