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Data: UK men concerned about impact of social media

January 14, 2025

Around three quarters (76 per cent) of young men in the UK are worried about the impact of social media on young men’s mental health, but almost as many are optimistic that it can improve – with two thirds (66 per cent) of young men in the UK saying that they feel social media can become a positive place for young people. Nearly a fifth (17 per cent) trust influencers they follow for advice around mental health compared to half (50 per cent) who would seek similar advice from a GP, or their friends.

This is according to research commissioned by The Goat Agency (Goat) and conducted by YouGov. The research surveyed around 4,000 young men aged 18-34 in the UK and US, to better understand the role of influencers and creators in their social media experience.

The study showed that mental health concerns and social media are closely linked, with 10 per cent of young men in the UK saying they have gone as far as seeking out external and professional help as a result of their experience on social media. However, the survey results provide clear indicators that young men are actively trying to make their social media safer and create better experiences for themselves.

“Historically, much of the discussion around social media and its impact on mental health focuses on young women and girls. Even the stereotypical image of an ‘influencer’ is usually a conventionally attractive, 20-something-year-old woman. With this research, we wanted to understand how young men are engaging with and being impacted by social media influencers, especially as over the past few years when the conversation around male influencers does arise, it tends to focus on negative connotations,” said Joanna Hughston, Head of Marketing at Goat. “We wanted to understand if this is the reality of young men across social media and ask ourselves, ‘Are we accurately representing young men’s experiences, especially when it comes to the type of content or influence they’re looking to engage with?’. We found that the story is not straightforward, and we want to shine a spotlight on this, as well as help brands understand how to better reach this audience.”

Key findings:

How social media impacts men’s feelings

It’s clear that men are concerned about parts of social media. For example, around 1 in 3 (32 per cent) of young British men said that based on what they see on social media, they have a more negative view of men in general. This grows to half (50 per cent) who have a more negative view of the world as a result of what they see on social media. This is much higher than their US counterparts, with around two fifths (36 per cent) of US men the same age agreeing. Finally, men express concern about how depictions of masculinity may translate into the real world – with more than half (55 per cent) of the UK men surveyed agreeing that depictions of masculinity on social media are causing social problems in their community.

As a result of these pressures, a quarter (24 per cent) of 18-34 year-old men have changed the social media platform they primarily use and 36 per cent have actively unfollowed people/influencers that are negatively impacting their mental health.

Importance of positive male role models

When looking at how this age group of men defines ‘positive’ male role models, the study found that over half of millennials (respondents aged 28-34) pointed to kindness, empathy, compassion, and inspiration (56 per cent) and being open about mental health (51 per cent) as the most important qualities of a positive male role model on social media. Whereas for the majority of Gen Z (respondents aged 18-27), it’s these qualities (53 per cent and 47 per cent, respectively) plus being physically fit/healthy eating (45 per cent) and being funny (43 per cent) that matter most.

The big majority of UK men aged 18-34 (69 per cent) say they want to see more content from influencers who are good role models for men, and almost half (46 per cent) say they already actively try and find more positive role models via social media. Some 51 per cent of Gen Z say they do this vs 38 per cent of millennials, suggesting Gen Z are taking a more active role in positively curating their social media feeds. This confirms that young men are putting effort into improving their experience of social media, and are interested in locating more good role models to engage with.

Positively, two thirds (66 per cent) of young men in the UK say that they feel social media can become a positive place for young people, with 69 per cent saying that brands and influencers alike can play a role in this.

Influencers nearly as trusted as mainstream news

Approximately half (52 per cent) of young men in the UK say they trust what they see in the news to be truthful, compared to 40 per cent who trust the influencers they personally follow (this is slightly higher amongst Gen Z men at 43 per cent agreeing). Influencers receive a high degree of trust, showing the high level of personal trust placed in these online role models – and reflecting the evolving way in which young people elect to receive news and information.

Dafydd Woodward, Global COO at Goat, added: “Our research suggests that many young men in the UK are actively using social media to connect with uplifting and inspiring figures, presenting a powerful moment for brands and their ambassadors to make an impact and counteract some of the negativity on social platforms that often gets more attention than is warranted. Brands can tap into this growing behaviour among young men, who are consciously curating their social media feeds to prioritise content that fosters empathy and emotional well-being.”

Categories: Articles, Consumer Behaviour, Research, Social Media

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