Andrew Tate, a self-described misogynist and an online influencer with millions of followers, faces charges in several countries of allegedly causing physical harm, including rape and sex-trafficking women and girls.

Tate is a prominent figure in the manosphere, a loosely connected network of online forums and sites united by beliefs in male supremacy. This messaging has increasingly moved to mainstream platforms, as social media algorithms on sites like YouTube and TikTok steer young men and boys toward manosphere content sometimes within minutes of opening an account.

Tate’s behaviors are an extreme example of manosphere ideologies spilling into the physical world, harming women as well as the men and boys taken in by the messaging.

The growth of the manosphere has been attributed to backlash toward the #MeToo Movement, which encouraged women to speak up about sexual violence. There is also evidence that increased isolation and time spent online during the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to many men finding these communities.

Nearly half of U.S. women experience unwanted sexual contact in their lifetimes, and 1 in 5 experience attempted rape or rape.

Some countries are taking initiative to curb sexually violent content online. For instance, the U.K. in 2026 implemented several guidelines for social media companies to reduce the spread of misogynistic and sexually violent content to young men and boys. But U.S. federal and state legislation is not keeping up.

As social scientists in social work and psychology, we study the ways sexual violence and masculinities intersect with digital technologies. The growth and cultural salience of manosphere communities have made them increasingly relevant to the work we do.

A violence prevention specialist we talked to in October 2026 said he is struggling to engage men and boys and to keep up with a changing landscape that includes online messaging.

For every Andrew Tate there are many more people launching misinformation and hateful content about women through topics that seem less directly tied to it, like working out, playing video games or just talking. These conversations connect with peoples’ day-to-day lives, which makes it easy to then slip in disparaging comments about women.

People who counsel sexual violence survivors are also struggling with the added burden of online influence, said Kim Foster, a police department senior victim assistance specialist we also interviewed in October. The women Foster works with are often “expecting to be belittled,” she said. “That’s what they’re seeing online.”

The network

Our team of experts reviewed 105 studies on manosphere communities, including research on nine contemporary social media sites: Reddit, Twitter/X, Twitch, Facebook, TikTok, 4chan, Telegram, Instagram and YouTube.

We found that they collectively hosted 89 unique manosphere communities, not counting YouTube channels. Seventy-five of those communities were on Reddit. Our studies also included data from 195 independent websites and blogs.

These communities use discussions of sexual violence to help recruit and indoctrinate new members. They are united by the idea that feminism has gone too far and women’s rights should be rolled back. Male supremacists assert that men are owed sexual access to women and frame themselves as victims when women exercise their right to decline sex or a relationship, or seek to hold men accountable for sexual harm.

This content is not confined to niche communities. A 2024 survey of 16- to 24-year-olds in the U.K. found that 95% were familiar with Tate, and 41% of boys and men had a favorable view of him.

Finding belonging

In the context of rising rates of loneliness in the U.S., a shared badge of victimhood helps recruit and engage men into manosphere communities, where they can find belonging and shared purpose as they cultivate antagonism between genders.

Within these communities, men who are accused of sexual violence are lauded as heroes or martyrs for the male supremacist cause.

Discrediting survivors

Men of the manosphere use what researchers call the DARVO strategy: deny, attack and reverse victim and offender – to frame #MeToo and anti-sexual violence activism as a feminist conspiracy targeting men.

“I’d rather be raped than falsely accused,” a Men’s Rights forum user posted in 2018, showing one way that social media users in the manosphere argue that men, not women, are the true victims of sexual violence.

This positions women as a shared enemy for men to blame for loneliness, frustration or anger.

Manosphere members claim that false rape allegations happen all the time and point to skewed statistics and cherry-picked stories. In reality, research consistently reports that a small minority – roughly 5% – of sexual assault allegations investigated by police are proven to be false.

Manosphere communities also judge what forms of sexual violence are worthy of taking seriously.

A common trope: “real victims” stay silent.

Foster sees this affecting her work: “I think we had really hoped that after the #MeToo Movement, people would be more confident coming forward, but I don’t feel like victims expect to be believed and taken seriously,” she told us.

Defending their worldview offline

Manosphere communities contain many references to violence and rape. Participants often call these protected speech or innocent jokes.

But for some men, they are a bridge to further harm toward women.

Pick-up artist and seduction communities teach members that “no” rarely actually means “no.” They teach that women deny sex as a game or to avoid being seen as a slut, a concept which they call “last minute resistance.” Users share detailed stories of sexual encounters – referred to as field reports – to give advice or ask about overcoming last-minute resistance. Our research found that these stories often represent clear disclosures of men sexually assaulting women.

The manosphere socializes boys and men into a worldview where entitlement, victimhood and male supremacy are normalized – making it more difficult for them to achieve healthy, consent-based, gender-equitable relationships.

This isn’t happening organically

As social media algorithms push more manosphere content, these types of beliefs surface in the real world.

In a case involving a male teacher preying on a female student, for instance, the investigation found notes on tactics from a pick-up artist forum in the teacher’s possession, Foster said.

Australian researchers found in 2026 that 40% of teenage boys say they think women lie about domestic violence or sexual assault.

The U.K.’s Online Safety Act calls algorithms that promote or normalize hatred and sexual violence against women an online safety problem. The act advises tech companies to remove creator payments for misogynistic posts and diversify algorithmic content types to lessen the impact of digital echo chambers.

But U.S. federal policy on social media does not call out the algorithmic spread of misogynistic content as a concern.

The proposed Kids Online Safety Act calls for online platforms to prevent and mitigate harmful material, such as physical violence or sexual exploitation of children, but does not mention women.

State legislation proposed in California in 2026 would have fined large social media companies for algorithms spreading hate speech or violent content, including promotion of violence against women. But the bill was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

New York’s Stop Hiding Hate Act, enacted in 2025, requires large social media companies to report their content moderation policies and how they respond to hate speech. But the law doesn’t address algorithm transparency or gender-related hate speech.

Worsening trends

Negative societal beliefs about sexual assault victims have long contributed to low rates of reporting, prosecution and jail time for perpetrators. About 1 in 3 survivors report sexual assault to law enforcement. Meanwhile, a low percentage – just a few percent – of perpetrators serve any prison time.

Based on our research, we believe that manosphere messaging about sexual violence worsens these trends and allows those who wish to cause harm to act without feeling the threat of punishment.

Until changes are made to the algorithms that spread this type of content on social media, these problems are likely to continue to grow. “I don’t know how to prevent this from happening without widespread systemic change,” Foster told us.

Morgan E. PettyJohn receives funding from the Kalman and Ida Wolens Foundation.

Jacob Nason is currently volunteering on the campaigns of Michigan Democrats William Lawrence for the U.S. House (MI-07) and Abdul El-Sayed for the U.S. Senate.

Kyla Cary does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.