in brief
- Chanel Contos accuses social media companies of feeding misogynistic content to young men online.
- She's urging the government to replace algorithmic feeds with ones that only show posts by accounts users follow by default.
This article contains references to sexual assault.
Social media empires are being put on notice for content that promotes controlling, violent sexual acts.
Big tech companies are radicalising young men into harmful sexual acts, the founder of education and advocacy organisation Teach Us Consent is expected to tell the National Press Club on Wednesday.
Chanel Contos will say the content is pushed by bad actors who share commercial infrastructure and have identified male psychology as a market — together, they make up the "manosphere".
"Young men online seeking community, belonging, and self-improvement advice are targeted with content that blames women for their misfortune and reinstates harmful and outdated gender roles," she is expected to say.
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Contos will say that boys aged between 16 and 18 are likely to be fed misogynistic content less than 25 minutes after signing up to social media.
That was true even if preferences were set to try and exclude it, according to research from Teach Us Consent.
Teens are regularly fed content suggesting women should not leave the house alone, should not work and should not be in charge of their own money.
Most harmful content starts in the wellness landscape through gym videos or motivational content.
They then promote good looks and dominance over women as markers of male worth.
Contos will tell the Press Club men who subscribe to those ideals are twice as likely to binge drink and eight times as likely to have suicidal thoughts as their peers.
They are also 17 times more likely to have hit their partner.
Australian teenage boys aged 16 to 18 are committing sexual assault against children more frequently than adults are, the Australian Child Maltreatment Study found in 2023.
Contos has previously cited media content as a driver, noting her organisation had found an explosion in peer-on-peer teen sexual violence in the past five years.
Sexual choking sparks calls for action
The federal government is currently exploring whether Australians should be able to opt out of algorithmically curated social media feeds, Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek told ABC Insider's program on Sunday.
The announcement came after a 16-year-old Sydney girl's death was linked in media reports to a suspected sexual choking act — a behaviour often promoted to teenage boys through pornography and social media content.
Contos will tell the Press Club that, while the change would be positive, harsher crackdowns are needed.
She will suggest feeds should only show posts from people users follow, unless users explicitly opt out, to circumvent harmful content. Such a move would revert social media algorithms to how they were a decade ago.
"(The change) would fundamentally make the transition onto social media for 16-year-olds and other children safer, and it would bring the principle of affirmative consent to our screens," Contos will say.
"It is too easy for big tech to design schemes that appear as structural reform but actually suit them just fine."
Teach Us Consent has been running a campaign promoting the change since 2025.
An open letter to the prime minister requesting an end to algorithmic feeds without an opt-out choice has been signed by more than 13,000 Australians.
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732, or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.
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