The impact of technology on boys has been at the centre of media attention over the last few weeks. The excellent Centre for Social Justice’s Lost Boys report (which HPFSS members including Sanjiv Nichani contributed to) included who the rise of online porn and digital technology has transformed the experience of childhood for boys and girls.
- Over half of Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation is now child-on-child, with boys accounting for nine out of ten perpetrators.
- The first six months of 2023 had reports of ‘sextortion’ increase by 257 per cent from the previous year, with boys again making up 91 per cent of those affected.
- A quarter of young men likely watching porn every or most days and 88 per cent of pornographic scenes containing physical violence.
- They are much more likely to be engaging with AI than girls, many of whom will be “just chatting”, “seeking advice” or even going to AI for “emotional support / therapy”
- A National Centre for Gaming Disorder was set up in 2020 and 90 per cent of its service users are boys.
In 2023, the third most Googled person in the world was Andrew Tate.
The CSJ call for boys are crying out for meaning, direction and role models but the first positive role model in a child’s life is increasingly absent. Sir Gareth Southgate expanded on exactly this theme in his Richard Dimbleby Lecture on the BBC when he referred to the report. Sir Gareth said:
“Too many young men are isolated, too many feel uncomfortable opening up to friends or family. Many don’t have mentors – teachers, coaches, bosses – who understand how best to push them to grow. And so, when they struggle, young men inevitably try to handle whatever situation they find themselves in, alone.”
“Young men end up withdrawing, reluctant to talk or express their emotions. They spend more time online searching for direction and are falling into unhealthy alternatives like gaming, gambling and pornography.”
This theme was brought horrifyingly to life in the outstanding Netflix series Adolescence. Not only a brilliantly acted drama, it highlights how little adults understand about the influences at play on our children.