You’ve been living under a rock if you haven’t heard all the hype around Adolescence on Netflix. It’s literally flooded my social media timelines and pretty much everyone I know has watched it. After finally catching up on Greys Anatomy, I gave it a go.

Wow.

As a mum of boys, watching something like Adolescence—a show that dives deep into the raw and messy realities of teenage life is eye-opening.

Raising three boys (and one little girl), I see firsthand the struggles that come with growing up in today’s world. My eldest, Harrison, is 13—the same age as the main character in Adolescence. He’s at that tricky stage where childhood is fading into the rearview mirror, and the pressures of being a “teenage boy” are creeping in. And yet, while I can guide him through real-life challenges, I worry about what he’s exposed to in the digital world—because that’s where so many boys are forming their views of themselves, women, and relationships.

The rise of incel ideology and online spaces filled with toxic masculinity show what happens when young men feel unheard and alienated. They find validation in groups that promote misogyny, telling them that the world is against them, that women owe them something, that aggression is strength. These online echo chambers are dangerous, reinforcing harmful beliefs that can shape the way boys see the world.

As parents, we have to wake up to this reality. We can’t afford to be naïve about what our kids are doing online. We need to have difficult conversations about respect, consent, and emotional intelligence. We need to ask who they’re following on social media, what kind of content they’re consuming, and what discussions they’re engaging in. Because if we don’t, someone else—someone with far more extreme and harmful views—will do it for us.

Boys need guidance, and they need it from the right sources. If we want to counteract the rise of incel culture and misogyny, we have to actively provide positive examples of masculinity. They need to see that strength isn’t about dominance but about resilience, compassion, and integrity. They need to know that emotions aren’t a weakness, that respect for women isn’t optional, and that the online world doesn’t always reflect reality.

More than anything, boys need parents who are paying attention. It’s not about banning social media or demonizing all online spaces—it’s about being present, being informed, and being willing to challenge harmful narratives before they take root. Because raising good men doesn’t happen by accident. It happens through conversations, education, and a refusal to let toxic ideologies take hold in the first place.