Discover why young men are turning to toxic influencers, how to recognise the warning signs, and how authentic mentorship from the Wild Man Project can help guide boys toward healthy masculinity. This is based on insights from the book “Raising Boys” by Steve Biddulph, which is the book of the month.

Your son’s probably watching Andrew Tate right now.

Yeah. That Andrew Tate.

And you know what’s scarier? He’s not telling anyone about it.

Here’s why this matters more than you think: Boys need guides. Real ones. Not algorithm-fed gurus selling toxic shortcuts to “alpha” status.

As author Steve Biddulph explains in “Raising Boys”, between ages 14 and 17, boys naturally look beyond their fathers for male role models. It’s hardwired. It’s necessary.

But here’s what’s happening instead:

They’re finding these role models on screens. In comments sections. In “alpha male” courses that promise power but deliver poison.

Why?

Because we left a vacuum.

And nature – human nature – abhors a vacuum.

Think about it. When’s the last time you saw men truly mentoring younger men? Not just barking orders about “manning up,” but actually showing up? Being real?

As the Wild Man Project’s manifesto states: “STRONGER TOGETHER. Don’t go it alone. Invest in your tribe, find your brothers, men you can count on.”

But we’re letting our boys go it alone.

And they’re drowning in digital noise.

Here’s what Biddulph knows, and what these internet “alphas” don’t tell you:

• Boys need multiple male mentors, not just one “guru”
• They need to see men expressing emotions healthily
• They need to witness men serving their communities
• They need to learn that strength isn’t about domination

The Wild Man Project’s manifesto puts it perfectly: “ALPHA IS BETA. There will always be someone bigger, stronger and better looking than you. But there’s only one authentic you.”

Try telling that to a teenager watching success-porn on TikTok.

The real crisis isn’t that boys want guidance.

It’s that we’re outsourcing their guidance to algorithms.

Think about the our principle: “BE THE ROCK. We don’t run away from emotions. We hold space for them. We listen without judgement.”

Now compare that to what they’re learning online:

• That vulnerability is weakness
• That women are conquests, not allies
• That success is about dominance, not service
• That masculinity is about taking, not giving

Biddulph emphasizes that boys need to see men who:

1. Show emotional intelligence
2. Respect women
3. Contribute to their communities
4. Live with purpose beyond themselves

Sound familiar? It should. The Wild Man Project’s manifesto echoes these truths:
“WOMEN ARE OUR ALLIES”
“BE OF SERVICE”
“GO DEEP”
“LEAD BY EXAMPLE”

So what’s the solution?

Simple, but not easy:

1. Step up. Your boy needs more than just you. He needs a tribe of good men.
2. Create spaces where boys can see men being real. Not perfect. Real.
3. Show them what the Wild Man Project’s manifesto means by “FIND COMFORT IN DISCOMFORT” – that real growth isn’t about dominating others, but mastering yourself.
4. Practice what Biddulph calls “heart-to-heart” conversations. Or as the Wild Man Project puts it: “GO DEEP. You can’t be vulnerable if I can’t be.”

Remember: “PRACTICE MAKES PROGRESS”

You don’t need to be perfect.
You don’t need millions of followers.
You don’t need a perfect life.

You just need to be real. To show up. To serve.

Because if we don’t fill this vacuum with something authentic, something human, the digital gurus will keep filling it with poison.

We’re not here to drift. We’re here to rise the tide.”

Let’s rise it together.

For our sons.

Ready to be part of the solution? Share this with a man who needs to hear it.