Survey Finds Toxic Online Culture Driving Gen Z Women in UK Away from Social Media

• Amnesty International UK reports on poisonous ‘toxic bro’ culture pushing young women off the internet.
• Published findings from a recent survey of 3,000+ Gen Z members (ages 16-25) in the UK.

Amnesty International UK has said that a ‘toxic 'bro' culture" is driving numerous young women away from social media altogether, based on the findings of its latest survey. The survey, which surveyed more than 3,000 Gen Z (ages 16 to 25) in the UK last month, found that half of the men surveyed blamed embattled influencer Andrew Tate as the key figure behind the spread of misogyny online.

US President Donald Trump was one of the political leaders named by voters as responsible for the increase in online misogyny (Niall Carson/PA).  In total, 61 percent of Gen Z voters believed that the increase in misogynistic and divisive rhetoric on social media was motivated by words or actions from political leaders.

Asked which of the big-name social media personalities were responsible for disseminating online misogyny, more than half (54 percent) of the sample identified Andrew Tate, 48 percent Trump, slightly more than a third (35 percent) Elon Musk, tech billionaire and de facto member of Trump's cabinet, and 23 percent Reform UK MP Nigel Farage.

Over a 37 percent of all those surveyed said that exposure to misogynistic material on social media had affected their mental health, with women more likely than men to report it had an effect (44 percent compared with 28 percent). One in five Gen Z women reported having quit or avoided platforms because they had experienced online misogyny, with 40 percent citing X (formerly Twitter), 30 percent TikTok, and 30 percent Instagram.

These results came out during the same week former England boss Sir Gareth Southgate was outspoken about "callous, manipulative, and toxic influencers" misdirecting young men into thinking women are against them.

Amnesty International UK's Chiara Capraro also emphasized the destructive impact of a poisonous 'bro' culture that is forcing a large number of young women off social media altogether. At the 46th Richard Dimbleby Lecture in the University of London, Gareth talked about the rising trend of young men withdrawing into the digital space, having trouble expressing them as real-world communities and mentorship reduce.

He identified those influencers, who tend to mislead young men into thinking that success is about money and power, are filling the gap in their quest for guidance. Amnesty's survey found that young men are less likely than women to see online misogyny as a reflection of attitudes in the real world, with 51 percent of men agreeing compared to 71 percent of women. Capraro stressed that this disturbing state of affairs is a direct consequence of tech companies putting profit ahead of user safety, resulting in an overwhelming volume of misogynistic content that has a devastating effect on the online lives of young people.

Half of the men surveyed named Andrew Tate as the main figure behind the dissemination of misogyny (Vadim Ghirda/AP).

Chiara emphasized that technology firms must "step up and take responsibility for the safety of their users," highlighting that online misogyny does real-world harm." In a further development, Richard Reeves, the original president of a US think tank dedicated to male wellbeing, said he would set up a similar body in the UK.

Reeves, a former director of strategy to former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, told the Today podcast that he is "working towards creating a similar institution in the UK." The organization, as defined on its website, "conducts non-partisan research on issues affecting the wellbeing of boys and men" in the US and creates programs and policies to assist them in flourishing