The 'Lost Boys' debate: Are positive male role models the answer?

Boys need supportive friends, critical digital literacy skills, and home and school environments that nurture their empathy 

Boys are not suffering due to a crisis of masculinity but because of a crisis of connection. File picture

The recent rise of male supremacist influencers, coupled with the unprecedented success of the Netflix series Adolescence, has provoked a plethora of public debate about what boys need in order to resist the toxic impact of manosphere figures and groups online. 

Especially prevalent among the proposed solutions are calls for healthier or more positive male role models to fill a void that boys are allegedly experiencing. We have seen this, for example, in Gareth Southgate’s Richard Dimbleby Lecture and in numerous opinion pieces including Finian Murphy's piece in the Irish Examiner recently.