Thank you so much for the opportunity to join you today.
My name is Humberto Carolo. I am the CEO of White Ribbon, based in Toronto on the traditional territory of many indigenous nations. White Ribbon is the world's largest movement of men and boys working to end gender-based violence. This work is both my personal and my professional commitment. I grew up witnessing violence in my home and community. As the adoptive father of three young men, I see first-hand the pressures that boys face in increasingly complex digital worlds.
As a member of the Ontario Domestic Violence Death Review Committee, I've observed that misogynistic attitudes and prejudice against women are key risk factors in intimate partner violence death. Research shows that supporting boys early, before harmful patterns and ideologies take root, is critical to preventing cycles of violence.
Social media is central to youth identity and belonging, but it also exposes boys to content that reinforces misogyny, unhealthy stereotypes and radicalization. Boys who begin in milder online spaces focused on men's issues often progress to forums that blame women and girls and promote gender-based violence. Some spaces, such as incel forums, have been directly linked to sexual violence and homicides of women. CSIS now classifies violent misogyny as a form of ideological extremism, the foundation of the online manosphere.
The influence of online content is reflected in troubling statistics: 99% of perpetrators of sexual violence towards women and girls are male; 75% of ideologically motivated violent extremism profiles belong to boys and men; and 83% of all sextortion victims are boys and young men. CSIS recently reported that nearly one in 10 terrorism investigations now involves at least one young person under the age of 18. Earlier this year, the RCMP arrested a 15-year-old in Edmonton for alleged links to an online violent and misogynistic extremist network known as 764, which targets youth.
These cases highlight the urgency of prevention. This is why we created our recent campaign, “My Friend Max Hate”. We saw how harmful influencers and ideologies were in shaping boys' attitudes, leading to misogyny, isolation and radicalization.
We are pilot-testing lesson plans to help educators address these issues. White Ribbon's new research, “Boys are at Risk”, in partnership with Angus Reid, examined the impact of misogyny and online radicalization on youth from the perspective of parents and professionals in education, mental health and child and youth care across Canada. The findings are deeply concerning: 84% of the professionals have encountered radicalized ideologies among boys and young men; 67% have seen these linked to incidents of gender-based violence; and 89% feel they lack the adequate training or resources required. Furthermore, 71% of boys, in particular, worry about the hateful content online and its impact on them.
These harms are spilling over into classrooms and communities. Research with the Canadian Institute for Far-Right Studies revealed similar trends in rural and francophone communities: 59% of educators described students making racist jokes or comments, with incidents escalating to physical violence. Parents and professionals are asking for tools—tools currently unavailable—to help boys and young men navigate digital spaces safely and develop critical thinking skills, empathy and resilience. Primary prevention can create the most transformative and lasting change. Studies show that prevention strategies yield two dollars to $20 for every dollar invested. Emerging research demonstrates the effectiveness of “attitudinal vaccination”, which exposes youth to a small and controlled portion of harmful online ideology to inoculate them against it.
We can ensure that boys and young men are supported, not blamed, as they navigate increasingly complex digital worlds. I urge you to prioritize investments in primary prevention and partner with organizations like White Ribbon. We have much more to share about the impact of misogynistic influencers on boys and young men, and in turn on women, girls and gender-diverse people.
We'll follow up with a fuller brief, but I thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this study. I look forward to your questions.