toxic masculinity-only influencer leadership

# Detailed Course Synthesis

## 1.1. Course Title

**Masculinity, Leadership & Influence: Thinking Critically About Role Models**

- **Target audience:** Year 9 | Ages 13–15
- **Session duration:** 75 minutes
- **Languages:** English
- **Delivery format:** In-person discussion

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## 1.2. Course Purpose / Learning Intent

This session supports Year 9 students in thinking critically about the messages they encounter online about masculinity, leadership and relationships. It creates space for students to examine the appeal of certain influencer voices, explore what healthy masculinity looks like in practice, and develop the skills to evaluate role models and media messages with confidence. The session responds to teachers' observations that some boys are referencing Andrew Tate and similar figures, and that girls in the cohort are expressing discomfort. It aims to open up constructive dialogue without shaming or polarising the group.

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## 1.3. Learning Outcomes

### 1.3.1 Knowledge

Students will be able to:

- Identify the characteristics of influencer content designed to appeal to adolescent boys
- Recognise the difference between confidence and dominance in leadership and relationships
- Understand that masculinity can be expressed in many healthy ways
- Name at least two qualities of a positive male role model

### 1.3.2 Attitudes / Feelings

Students will:

- Feel able to question messages they encounter online without feeling judged
- Recognise that it is normal to be drawn to confident voices, and that critical thinking is a skill that can be developed
- Understand that respectful relationships benefit everyone, regardless of gender
- Feel more confident naming what makes them uncomfortable in online content or peer behaviour

### 1.3.3 Skills

Students will be able to:

- Evaluate whether an influencer's message aligns with their own values
- Distinguish between content that entertains and content that influences beliefs
- Articulate what respect looks like in everyday interactions
- Reflect on their own role models and why they admire them

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## 1.4. Key Content Areas

- What makes influencer content appealing, particularly to adolescent boys
- The difference between confidence, leadership and dominance
- Characteristics of healthy masculinity and positive male role models
- How algorithms amplify certain voices and create echo chambers
- Recognising misogyny and disrespect in online rhetoric
- The impact of influencer messages on relationships and peer dynamics
- Practical strategies for thinking critically about content and role models

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## 1.5. Skills Developed

### 1.5.1 Skills & Attitudes

- Critical media literacy
- Reflective thinking about personal values and role models
- Respectful dialogue across differing viewpoints
- Recognising and naming disrespect or harmful rhetoric

### 1.5.2 Social-Emotional Learning

- Self-awareness: understanding what influences personal beliefs
- Social awareness: recognising the impact of language and behaviour on others
- Responsible decision-making: evaluating online content and choosing role models thoughtfully

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## 1.6. Teaching & Learning Methods

The session is structured as a facilitated discussion with opportunities for partner talk, small-group reflection and whole-class dialogue. Activities include:

- **Think-pair-share:** Students reflect individually, discuss with a partner, then contribute to the wider group
- **Scenario exploration:** Students consider hypothetical situations involving influencer content and peer dynamics
- **Role model mapping:** Students identify qualities they value in leaders and role models, then evaluate public figures against those criteria
- **Ground rules co-creation:** The group establishes shared expectations for respectful dialogue at the start of the session

The facilitator maintains a neutral, non-evaluative tone throughout, creating space for students to voice questions and concerns without fear of judgment. The session avoids showing video clips of Andrew Tate or similar figures directly, instead focusing on the themes and messages students may have encountered.

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## 1.7. Modular Breakdown & Content

**Module 1: Opening & Ground Rules (10 minutes)**

- Brief introduction to the session's purpose
- Co-creation of discussion ground rules emphasising respect, confidentiality and openness
- Acknowledgment that the topic may feel uncomfortable or personal for some students

**Module 2: What Makes Influencer Content Appealing? (15 minutes)**

- Partner discussion: What makes someone want to follow or listen to an influencer?
- Whole-group sharing: Confidence, humour, relatability, feeling understood
- Facilitator input: How algorithms amplify voices that provoke strong reactions

**Module 3: Confidence vs Dominance (20 minutes)**

- Scenario exploration: Students consider examples of confident leadership and dominating behaviour
- Small-group task: Identify the difference between respect and control in relationships
- Whole-group discussion: What does healthy masculinity look like in practice?

**Module 4: Role Models & Values (20 minutes)**

- Individual reflection: Who do you admire, and why?
- Partner talk: What qualities matter most in a role model?
- Facilitator-led discussion: Evaluating public figures against those criteria
- Acknowledgment that people can be flawed and still offer something valuable — and that some voices are harmful overall

**Module 5: Thinking Critically & Closing (10 minutes)**

- Practical strategies: How to pause and question content before accepting it
- Reflection prompt: One thing that will stay with you from today's session
- Reminder of support available if students want to talk further

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## 1.8. Safeguarding & Age-Appropriateness Notes

This session is designed for Year 9 students (ages 13–15) and acknowledges that they are already encountering influencer content about masculinity, relationships and gender dynamics online. The facilitator does not show Andrew Tate video clips directly in the session. Students are not asked to share personal experiences of misogyny they have witnessed. Discussion ground rules emphasise respect and confidentiality from the outset.

The facilitator should be prepared for defensive reactions from boys who may feel personally attacked, and should frame the session as an opportunity to think critically rather than as a judgment of anyone's current beliefs. If disclosures about harmful behaviour emerge, the facilitator follows the school's safeguarding referral pathway.

The session is appropriate for religious students and does not assume or prescribe particular beliefs about gender roles. It focuses on respect, critical thinking and healthy relationships as universal values.

### Local Follow-Up Resources

**Information not available — please provide school_city and school_country.**

# Module — Masculinity, Leadership & Influence: Thinking Critically About Role Models

**Ages 13–15 · 75 min**

This session supports Year 9 students in thinking critically about the messages they encounter online about masculinity, leadership and relationships. It creates space to examine the appeal of certain influencer voices, explore what healthy masculinity looks like in practice, and develop the skills to evaluate role models and media messages with confidence. The session responds to teachers' observations that some boys are referencing Andrew Tate and similar figures, and that girls in the cohort are expressing discomfort. It opens up constructive dialogue without shaming or polarising the group.

## Key topics

- What makes influencer content appealing to adolescent boys
- The difference between confidence, leadership and dominance
- Characteristics of healthy masculinity and positive male role models
- How algorithms amplify certain voices and create echo chambers
- Recognising misogyny and disrespect in online rhetoric
- Practical strategies for thinking critically about content and role models

## Why we cover this

Students are already encountering influencer content about masculinity and relationships online. Some of these voices promote dominance over respect, and frame misogyny as confidence. This session equips students to pause and question what they consume, recognise the difference between healthy leadership and harmful rhetoric, and choose role models thoughtfully. It supports both boys and girls in building the critical thinking skills that protect against manipulation and support respectful relationships.

# Course Brief — Masculinity, Leadership & Influence: Thinking Critically About Role Models

## Why this course exists

Year 9 teachers flagged a noticeable shift in how some boys talk about girls and authority figures over the past term, with several students referencing Andrew Tate by name in class discussions and one tutor observing a small group circulating Tate clips at break. Girls in the same cohort raised concerns about feeling uncomfortable. The requesting party was a teacher, and the urgency was classified as routine. The team chose to build a 75-minute discussion-based course to create space for critical dialogue about influencer content, masculinity and role models without shaming or polarising the group.

## Who it is for

Year 9 students aged 13–15 in a religious school context, typically delivered to groups of 15. The course is designed for in-person discussion and does not assume or prescribe particular beliefs about gender roles, focusing instead on respect, critical thinking and healthy relationships as universal values.

## How it was built

- **Discover (Phase 1)** — The validated brief captured the teacher observation, named Andrew Tate specifically, and requested focus on the manosphere ecosystem and educator-side analysis of what is working in schools.
- **Research (Phase 2)** — No research providers were used. Zero queries were planned and executed. Zero findings and zero themes were returned. The writer step used the Sonnet model with no external evidence base.
- **Consolidation (Phase 3)** — Sonnet model was used. Two methods documents were active: "Mind Shift writing style guide" and "Shift image style — gentle watercolour."
- **Human-in-the-loop** — Brief approval, research plan approval, and research pack approval gates were completed by Liz/Glen.

## What we relied on

No research themes were generated. The synthesis was written without an external evidence base. All content reflects the writer's general knowledge and the parameters set in the validated brief and safeguarding notes.

## Known limitations

- No research findings returned — entire evidence base is missing
- No data on Andrew Tate's rhetoric arc 2022–2026
- No educator-side analysis of what interventions are working in UK schools
- No evidence on algorithmic amplification routes for adolescent boys
- No content from Gareth Southgate's 2024 Dimbleby Lecture despite being flagged as key reference
- No leadership voices on healthy masculinity for 13–15 age group
- No manosphere ecosystem mapping for religious school contexts
- No counter-narratives or positive male role models identified
- No evidence on how girls in Year 9 are experiencing this shift
- No guidance on discussion facilitation techniques for this topic with religious students
- Local follow-up resources section contains "Information not available — please provide school_city and school_country"

## Provenance

- Course id: `2026-06-09_toxic-masculinity-trimmed`
- Generated: `2026-06-15T09:24:43.124644+00:00`
- Model: `sonnet`
- Methods snapshot: Mind Shift writing style guide, Shift image style — gentle watercolour