What boys see online can affect how they feel about themselves, and those who see more content that promotes stereotypical gender norms are more likely to feel isolated and have low self-esteem, according to a new report.
The report by Common Sense Media explores boys’ experiences online and how the content they see affects their self-perception and offline relationships, building on research in recent years that has largely focused on girls’ online experiences and mental health. The Common Sense Media report is based on a survey of 1,017 boys ages 11-17 conducted in July 2025.
Nearly three-quarters of boys (73%) regularly encounter content online that promotes a particular view of masculinity and gender roles, and nearly 1 in 4 (23%) are exposed to a lot of it. Masculinity-related content could include topics related to boys’ appearance, making money, and gender roles in the home or workplace, and unwritten rules on how boys should behave.
Nearly every boy said they had been exposed to content about male body image or appearance, including posts and videos about building muscle, showing good fashion sense, having clear skin, or having a certain jawline or facial structure.
Boys who were exposed to more masculinity-related content were more likely to report having low self-esteem and desires to change their appearance.
Here’s a breakdown of some other key findings from the Common Sense Media report, in charts.
Boys who see more masculinity-related content report lower self-esteem, more difficulty sharing feelings
Boys who say they see content about masculinity frequently also struggle with lower self-esteem than their peers who see such content less often, the report says.
About 26% of boys reported feeling lonely, but the percentage was higher for boys with “high exposure” to masculinity content (30%) than for their peers with low exposure (18%).
About 14% of boys with high exposure to masculinity-related content said they have low self-esteem, compared with 5% of those with low exposure. Thirty-four percent with high exposure reported feeling they’re “no good” compared with 16% of boys with low exposure.
Boys with high exposure were more likely to say they avoid talking about their feelings or sharing their worries with friends. “High exposure” was defined as boys who said they were exposed to the content often or very often, whereas “low exposure” was defined in the report as boys who said they saw the content rarely, never, or sometimes.
For example, about 40% of boys who reported high exposure to digital masculinity-related content said they believe sharing worries makes them look weak, compared with just 11% of boys who had low exposure.
Overall, about half of boys said they shouldn’t cry or show sadness or fear to avoid being picked on by peers. About one-third said it was an “unwritten rule” that they should use humor instead of being serious about problems and they should always act confident.
Boys with higher digital masculinity exposure were more likely to believe these unwritten rules must be followed. Fifty-nine percent of high-exposure boys believe they can’t cry or show fear (versus 28% of low-exposure boys), the report says. Thirty-five percent of boys with high exposure believe they shouldn’t talk seriously about feelings with friends, compared with 19% with low exposure.
Who boys turn to as male role models
Boys primarily turn to their fathers, male guardians, or other male family members as their examples of how to be a “good man.” But more than one-third said they also look to their teachers or coaches as role models, the report says.
The finding underscores the role school districts can play in ensuring boys have strong male role models—a perennial challenge for the female-dominated education profession. The report suggests that districts establish mentorship programs that connect boys with positive adult male role models who can provide guidance on healthy masculinity.
Smaller percentages of boys look to TV shows, sports figures, social media influencers, music, books, and video games for guidance on being a “good man.”
The phrases boys hear most often online
Boys are exposed to a distinct lexicon online.
Of the terms asked about in the survey, the ones that boys heard online most frequently were “alpha male” or “beta male” to describe different types of boys. About one-quarter of boys reported hearing or seeing comments that blame women for men’s problems, and 16% said they’ve heard terms like “incel”—a member of an online group who is unable to attract women and who expresses resentment and hostility toward women.
Boys also reported seeing a lot of content related to appearance.
Three-quarters (75%) of adolescent boys are exposed to content about being muscular while smaller segments say they’re exposed to messages about dressing in a particular style (47%), being tall (43%), having clear skin (38%), and having a certain jawline or facial structure (25%).
Nearly one-quarter of all boys said social media makes them feel as if they should change how they look, but boys with high exposure (41%) were far more likely to say so than their peers with low exposure (9%).
