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Indian Schools Must Address Online Misogyny & Masculinity: A Paradigm Shift Needed
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News18•22-09-2026, 14:31
Indian Schools Must Address Online Misogyny & Masculinity: A Paradigm Shift Needed
- •A Delhi stabbing incident involving a Class 9 student highlights the urgent need to discuss how teenage boys perceive girls, relationships, and masculinity, amidst growing concerns about online influences.
- •The 2020 "Bois Locker Room" controversy exposed how private online spaces can foster and amplify harmful, sexually explicit attitudes towards girls among schoolboys.
- •Social media platforms are increasingly shaping boys' understanding of masculinity, with algorithms and influencers presenting a mix of self-improvement content alongside hostile ideas about women.
- •Research indicates that the appeal of "manosphere" content for teenage boys isn't always rooted in explicit misogyny but can involve exaggerated masculine roles and gender hierarchies, often normalized through humor.
- •Experts advocate for Indian schools to implement structured, non-judgmental conversations about masculinity, consent, online misogyny, and healthy relationships, similar to initiatives in the Netherlands and the UK.
Key Questions Answered
In 2020, the "Bois Locker Room" controversy erupted when screenshots from a private Instagram group circulated online containing sexually explicit and derogatory comments about girls, sparking a wider debate over online misogyny and teenage awareness.
Schools in the Netherlands are using Netflix’s four-part drama series titled 'Adolescence' to open conversations with teenagers about relationships, masculinity, and the influence of the online manosphere.
A Harvard Kennedy School survey of 1,254 young Indian men found that more than half felt "no one really knows me", and three in five agreed that men have more right to a job than women when jobs are scarce.
