The movement to restrict certain technologies from young people is gaining momentum in Canada. Manitoba has announced plans to ban those under 16 from using both social media and AI chatbots. British Columbia Attorney General Niki Sharma has expressed support for a ban, and Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Saskatchewan are considering similar measures.
Canada may even follow Australia's lead by implementing a nationwide ban on social media for youth. However, the effectiveness of such bans remains uncertain. In the 1990s, as schools built computer labs, they often used content-filtering software like Net Nanny. Its simplistic text-searching approach prevented students from researching breast cancer and even caused the UK town of Scunthorpe to vanish from online searches. Websites offering tips to disable Net Nanny became popular among teens.
The Manosphere and Its Influence
A corner of the internet particularly attractive to boys and young men is the manosphere, the subject of a new Netflix documentary, Inside the Manosphere. The film features muscular male influencers promoting a harsh version of masculinity often at the expense of women. British filmmaker Louis Theroux explores how these hypermasculine types operate and profit from their lifestyles.
Rehmatullah Sheikh, in a commentary on menshealthfoundation.ca, describes the manosphere as "thinly veiled misogyny dressed up with Lamborghinis and swanky condos as 'evidence' that the methods work." He argues that subtle, seductive manosphere content is invading the bedrooms and minds of boys and young men.
Sigma Male Phenomenon
Professor Samuel Tanner of the Université de Montréal uses the term "sigma male" to describe this trend. Unlike the "alpha male," who scores high on looks, money, and status, the sigma male is self-centred, ambitious, adaptable, and unconventional. Tanner writes that he "knows how to please women but maintains a distant, cynical and cruel attitude toward them." In an analysis of over 1,000 TikTok videos, Tanner found many examples of the sigma male personality, with humiliation of women being a recurring theme. One video prank shows men approaching women with a bouquet, handing it to them while they tie their shoelaces, then taking it back. Tanner argues this reflects a view of women as mere supports for men.
Positive Messages Among the Toxicity
Not all manosphere influencers are purely negative. Hamza Ahmed encourages fitness and self-confidence. Jordan Peterson advises men to make their beds as a small win that creates order and agency. Even Andrew Tate tells viewers to cut back on excessive gaming, pornography, and scrolling.
Both my son, Jordan, and his wife, Paige Hilderman, have thought deeply about these issues. Paige works with students at Concordia University and sees firsthand the harmful effects of online communities. "Young boys are looking for community and identity," they tell me. "And for those who do not find it in the real world, there is a lot of fairly harmless content easily accessible online. However, the algorithm pushes them toward more radical content."
