Men are deliberately being fed harmful and misogynistic content online, and Sadiq Khan is no exception.
At SXSW festival yesterday, the Mayor of London warned of the growing ‘manosphere’ looming over young men in the capital, amplified by social media.
Not only does this include dangerous ‘masculinity influencers’ such as Andrew Tate who believe men are superior, but disturbing trends aimed at hurting women.
Last year, Metro uncovered an incel trend spreading across London from Japan, which saw women being pushed and shoved out of the way by random men.
Vulnerable teenage boys are five times more likely to be fed this content, prompting the Mayor to announce a £1 million package to build more positive male role models at home and in school.
‘I often see deepfakes of myself’
But he urged tech companies to do more, after coming across hateful videos on his own algorithms, including deep-fakes of himself.
He told Metro: ‘I often see disinformation and misinformation of the platforms I use, but I am a sensible grown man, so I know to reject this, but I am worried young people might be influenced.
‘I have seen deepfake audios which sound just like me, and are spreading lies and disinformation about what I haven’t done.’
The most notable case of this was in 2024, when a fake video of Mr Khan at The Cenotaph made him say dismissive remarks about Armistice Day.
This led to the far-right descending on the area, and police officers were assaulted.
Mr Khan said: ‘These fake videos spread to people and it leads them to have a negative view on what I am doing. And it can lead to violence.’
Latest London news
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To get the latest news from the capital, visit Metro’s London news hub.
Teenagers fed misogynistic content
Researchers at UCL found it took just days for new social media accounts belonging to children to be fed misogynistic content.
They had set up accounts which mimicked those of vulnerable teenage boys, and soon enough the misogynistic content jumped from 13% of recommended videos to 56% in five days.
Addressing the audience at SXSW yesterday, Mr Khan said: ‘The deafening silence of the rest of society has allowed manosphere influencers to dominate the discussion.
‘Tech companies and the government have got to take the megaphones away from online misogynists. But the rest of us have got to start talking, too. And I’m proud to say that, here in London, we’re leading the way.’
Sadiq Khan ‘appalled’ over Fordingbridge sentences
The Mayor of London’s announcement to tackle the ‘manosphere’, which does not mention female victims of misogynistic hate, comes as the sentencing for those who commit violence against women and girls is being called out for its leniency.
Three boys were able to avoid jail in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, after raping two girls at knifepoint. They were given youth rehabilitation orders with 10 rape convictions between them.
The sentence has been referred to the Court of Appeal for being ‘unduly lenient’, with Mr Khan agreeing the story is ‘appalling’.
He told Metro: ‘I was appalled by the sentence given by the judge, so I welcome the attorney general appealing the sentence.
When I read what the victim said in terms of how she felt in consequence of the sentence, it is heartbreaking. It is really important for the public to have confidence in the criminal justice system, but also for victims and survivors to come forward, and I am worried this sends the wrong message.’
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