Idea of Masculinity , George challenges rigid rules imposed upon men and offers a broader view of masculinity. Strength can include admitting that something hurts. Responsibility can include recognising our effect on others. Courage can mean asking for help before reaching crisis. Fathers and other male role models are central to this. Boys notice what men do, not only what they say. A UK survey of 1,000 men by The Priory Group found that 40% had never spoken to anyone about their mental health, despite 77% having experienced symptoms including anxiety, stress or depression. In internationally mobile families, silence can become wrapped up with responsibility. A father may be the principal earner, while his job may also support school fees, immigration status and the family’s ability to remain in the country. If admitting that he is struggling feels as though it could threaten that stability, saying nothing can start to look like the responsible thing to do. There is another paradox in prosperous environments. When life looks safe and successful from the outside, struggling can become harder to explain, even to yourself. What have I got to be unhappy about? can quickly turn into shame. A good job, a safe home and a beautiful view do not protect anyone from loneliness, grief or despair. They can simply make it feel as though there is less permission to say so. If this article raises questions about what healthy masculinity looks like, A Good Man , goes deeper. LISTEN TO THE HUSHED ®
Boys see this. If the men they admire never show uncertainty, ask for help or admit they are struggling, another lesson is quietly passed down: strength means carrying it alone. The conversation in A Good Man also pointed towards what makes honesty possible. When I asked Pete what men need in order to speak openly and show vulnerability, his answer was one word: “Safety.” George helps us understand the insecurity the manosphere can exploit. Pete gives us a clue to what the response must include. Creating safety does not mean avoiding challenge. It means establishing enough trust for the conversation to continue. Schools can support this through media literacy, pastoral conversations and opportunities to discuss masculinity without treating boys themselves as the problem. Parents can show genuine interest in the content their sons encounter and resist turning every difficult opinion into a confrontation. Boys also need opportunities to question these ideas with one another, not only to be taught what adults believe healthy masculinity should look like. Boys will continue to look for answers about what makes a good man. The question is whether the most confident voices online will be the only people willing to offer them.
around bedtime was also linked with poorer outcomes. The concern, then, is not only screen time. Repeated interruption can affect concentration, learning and sleep, while recommendation systems may expose boys to increasingly provocative versions of whatever first attracted their attention. A teenage boy does not necessarily need to search for the manosphere. Its content may begin finding him. CURIOSITY IS NOT AGREEMENT Adults understandably want to challenge misogyny or hostility when they hear it. But an immediate lecture may close down the conversation needed to understand where those beliefs came from. Ridiculing an influencer may also feel like ridiculing the boy who has found something persuasive in his message. A more useful starting point might be: What do you think he gets right? Why do you think so many boys listen to him? Curiosity does not mean accepting harmful ideas. It creates enough room to examine them and distinguish an influencer’s conclusions from the need that first drew a boy towards the content. A hostile opinion about women may sit alongside confusion about rejection. Obsession with money or status may reflect a fear of insignificance. Mocking vulnerability may reveal uncertainty about whether honesty would be met safely. Helping boys navigate these ideas is not only about their own well-being. The beliefs they develop about women, relationships and power shape friendships, dating, classrooms and the wider culture in which all young people grow up. GIVE BOYS SOMETHING TO BUILD TOWARDS We frequently tell boys what healthy masculinity is not: aggression, domination, misogyny or emotional suppression. But removing an unhealthy model without offering an alternative leaves a vacuum. There is a danger, too, that “healthy masculinity” simply becomes another set of rules boys are expected to get right. The aim is not to replace one rigid model of manhood with another, but to give boys greater freedom in how they understand strength, identity and adulthood. In Be a Man About It: Building a Healthier
The Hushed is a podcast by men, for men and those who love them. It explores the conversations men often keep hidden, with mental health part of the story rather than always the whole story. In A Good Man , George and Pete talk about strength, vulnerability, responsibility and the pressure men can carry quietly.
With listeners in nearly 70 countries across six continents and nearly 100 x five-star ratings across Apple Podcasts and Spotify, The Hushed has built a growing international audience around these conversations. Scan the QR code to listen on Spotify. The Hushed is also available wherever you get your podcasts.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT AUTUMN 2026 | 30
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