Two weeks ago Ofcom produced new, much needed and welcome guidance for tech companies on tackling online harms affecting women and girls. Yet there was nothing about tackling the specific harms that affect men and boys because of the impact they have on men and boys themselves.

Any mention of tackling misogynistic content was primarily posited because of the impact on women and girls, not also because of the harmful impact on men and boys too. Plus there are a range of other online harms affecting, many disproportionately, men and boys too.  

Despite frequent requests Ofcom has thus far refused to consider parallel guidance for tech companies on tackling online harms affecting men and boys. It has not given a cogent explanation, especially when evidence which clearly shows a need. Why is there this refusal?

Ofcom is mandated in the Online Safety Act 2024 that guidance for women and girls needed to be produced, but nowhere in this legislation does it forbid Ofcom from doing so for men and boys too.

CPRMB believes this refusal is odd and inequitable, given the increasing amount of knowledge and awareness about the online harms affecting men and boys. Some harms affect both genders in similar ways but evidence shows others are different, or have a different perspective or are even just unrecognised (for example, cyber-stalking). This is why we need complementary guidance that takes into account men and boys‘ specific online experience

If Ofcom refuses then it is effectively giving the impression that it only cares about or considers online harms that impact women and girls. This makes no sense. We can care about the harms done to both genders simultaneously. We can “think two things at the same time.”

Ofcom’s position also gives a worrying signal to tech companies that they do not need to worry about men, young men or boys (M/YM/B) and it also gives a signal to M/YM/B that online harms they suffer are somehow acceptable or less important .

Even when men and boys are in the minority, it is still a significant minority. Do those individual M/YM/Bs not matter too?

Given the wide range of reports about online harms affecting men and boys from numerous      organisations this year (Movember, Male Allies, KCL, Beyond Equality, Equimondo at al - plus the debate started by Adolescence) – Ofcom and the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) cannot surely continue to ignore them in 2026?

Here are some facts that support the case for guidance:

1. Online Harm: 66% of men (65% women) had seen an online harm in the past four weeks - Source: Ofcom State of Nation Report (2025)
2. Online Harm: Boys aged 11-17 see on average 4.28 of 9 types of different online harms in the past four weeks (3.9 for girls) – Source: Ofcom Children’s Online Experiences (2025)
3. Intimate Image Abuse: 25% of boys have had explicit or intimate images or videos shared online which were shared by a partner (10% girls) – Source: Youth Endowment Fund (2024).
4. Sextortion: 91% of sextortion victims are male - Source: Internet Watch Foundation (2024)
5. Gambling: 53% of 11–17-year-old boys (31% of girls) see gambling adverts online every week – Source: Gambling Commission (2025)
6. Cryptocurrencies: 8% of 13- to 16-year-olds own cryptocurrencies – about 70% of crypto owners are male so this is more likely to affect them. Many organisations working with teenage boys report this is becoming more of an issue – Source: Financial Conduct Authority (2024)
7. Pornography: 19% of boys aged 13-14 access porn services every month (11% girls) – Source: Ofcom announce new controls (2025)
8. Stalking: 173,000 men were cyber-stalked in 2024/25 (382,000 women) in England and Wales  – Source: ONS stalking annual figures (2025)
9. Physical Violence: 6% of men (3.5% women) have been threatened with physical violence online – Source: The Alan Turing Institute
10. Suicide/Self-Harm: 12% of boys aged (11-17) have seen content on suicide and self/harm in the previous four weeks (13% girls) – Source: Ofcom Children’s Online Experiences (2025)