The Adolescent Man Box report reveals concerning attitudes and behaviours of Aussie teenagers

Toxic attitudes are leading to a range of concerning behaviours by Australian adolescents in a landmark study that exposes how our teens really think.

Australian teenagers are viewing violent pornography, using digital surveillance on partners and sharing deepfake sexualised images of classmates across the country.

Now an “Australia-first” study by the Jesuit Social Services has linked these concerning behaviours with adolescents’ attitudes.

The Adolescent Man Box report surveyed 1400 Australian boys and girls aged 14 to 18 to better understand the link between rigid masculine norms and poorer life outcomes for young men.

The report found boys who endorsed the Man Box attitudes – a set of 27 “rigid masculine norms” – were more likely to exhibit negative behaviours such as violence, abuse, viewing pornography and underage drinking.

Men’s Project executive director Matt Tyler said while many boys and girls surveyed oppose the Man Box, there were still a number of boys who strongly endorsed it.

Mr Tyler said there was both hope and concerns from the findings. Picture: Supplied

“Of these boys, two in five told us that they had used bullying, physical violence or sexual harassment in the past month,” he said.

“These same boys are also more likely to drink, gamble, get into physical fights, view pornography with violent and non-consensual acts, and experience poor mental health. “They’re also more likely to be victims of violence themselves.”

Mr Tyler said the amount of adolescents viewing violent pornography was “through the roof” and found it very concerning that nearly one in five boys and girls surveyed believed digital surveillance on a partner was okay.

Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate are self-avowed misogynists whose toxic masculinity creed has been embraced by millions of adolescent boys around the world. Picture: Daniel Mihailescu/AFP

He also found girls “overwhelmingly” rejected the alpha male or “big dog” personality even though boys thought it was expected.

Nerasha, 17, is a year 11 girl in Melbourne. She wishes her male peers would speak about their emotions.

“I would like boys my age to act more open and honest about their feelings,” she said.

“I think if they could communicate better it’d be better for their mental health and easier to form relationships.”

Brisbane teenager Chris said there was a lot of pressure on young men like himself.

Brisbane teenager Chris, 17, said he believed many of his male peers were expected to subscribe to the Man Box rules while also trying to find a partner.

“I think a lot of boys are expected to “man up” and not show weaknesses or vulnerabilities,” he said.

“Young men are facing lots of pressure.

“Many feel they need to have a partner, specifically female, to go about their lives with.”

The report uncovered many concerning attitudes and behaviours among young Australian adolescents.

But Mr Tyler said there was still hope, particularly for parents.

Jesuit Social Services runs Man Box workshops in schools.

“Adolescents tell us they’re really influenced by their parents – it was the most common response,” he said.

Melbourne designer Luke Donovan is a parent to two teenagers.

He credits communication with helping his children reject the Man Box rules.

“Parents always have their kids’ best interests in mind, which isn’t the case with influencers and their peers,” Mr Donovan said.

He said although conversations with teenage children can be challenging, the rewards outweigh the awkwardness.

“Once dialogue is open and regular it becomes an uneventful thing,” he said.

“We can’t leave these conversations to social media – we don’t want our kids raised on algorithms.”

Originally published as The Adolescent Man Box report reveals concerning attitudes and behaviours of Aussie teenagers