Protecting Boys From Toxic Social Media with Peggy Orenstein

We’re joined by bestselling author Peggy Orenstein (Boys & Sex, Girls & Sex, Cinderella Ate My Daughter, and Unraveling) to talk about what boys and young men are being fed online—and why parents need to understand it. We get into Andrew Tate, the algorithms pushing increasingly extreme and misogynistic ideas about masculinity, and why boys who initially watch this content because it seems funny can still absorb the messages underneath it. Peggy also explains why she prefers talking about “rigid masculinity” rather than “toxic masculinity,” and what she learned from interviewing boys about the pressure to shut down nearly every emotion except happiness and anger. But this isn’t just a terrifying tour of what’s lurking in our kids’ feeds. Peggy gives us practical ways to help boys build emotional vocabulary, establish boundaries, think critically about what they see online, and grow into fuller, more emotionally connected people. We also talk about how to start conversations about bodies and sex long before puberty—and why waiting until the teenage years makes everything harder. Join our newsletter community here. ORDER The Parisian Heist here. Visit our lovely sponsors here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices