🙎🏻 Boys from Brazil aren’t alright

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Brazilian boys not immune to the ‘Machosphere’

A global success, the four gripping episodes of Netflix miniseries “Adolescence” sparked international debate with their raw portrayal of the complexities of raising children in the digital age. The British series stands out not only for its intense performances and sharp direction, but also for its unflinching dive into uncomfortable subject matter.

Without giving away spoilers, the plot centers around a 13-year-old boy accused of fatally stabbing a schoolmate — and the psychological and societal fallout that reverberates through his family. In doing so, the show touches on a litany of issues facing today’s youth: misogyny, bullying, intergenerational communication gaps, mental health and the insidious rise of virtual communities devoted to masculinism and notorious “incel” culture.

These online spaces, often cloaked in the language of self-help or “male development,” preach male superiority or, at the very least, cast women as scapegoats for male frustration. What follows is often a descent into hate speech — and, in some cases, physical violence.

Teenagers, still forming their sense of identity and longing to fit in, are especially vulnerable. Left unsupervised on platforms like YouTube, TikTok or Discord, many young boys become easy prey for extremist ideologies masked as empowerment.

In Brazil, according to news site UOL, the 11 leading YouTube channels in the so-called “red pill” sphere — a movement that claims to awaken men to supposed societal oppression — have amassed more than 4 million subscribers and over 1 billion video views.

Academics and journalists have increasingly worked to expose these networks, though the subject remains unfamiliar to many parents.

A recent report, “Right-Wing Extremism Among Adolescents and Young People in Brazil,” draws a direct line between exposure to online hate and school violence. 

Put together by Daniel Cara, a professor of education at the University of São Paulo, the report chronicles 35 deaths and 72 injuries resulting from attacks by students or former students since the early 2000s.

Such attacks, the study found, are typically linked to bullying, neglect, authoritarian parenting and to the unregulated spread of extremist content on social media and encrypted messaging platforms.

“Misogyny plays a crucial role in the far-right’s recruitment of boys,” the report says, citing online games like Roblox, Fortnite and Minecraft as key entry points. The most frequently targeted demographic: white, heterosexual boys.

Another recent study by Telma Vinha, a professor at the University of Campinas, adds class and race to the profile. Of the 37 schools that suffered attacks up until 2023 — with 40 lives lost — 31 were located in middle- or upper-income areas. In about 75% of incidents, the perpetrators were minors; nearly half were between the ages of 13 and 15.

A fight over education policy

Despite clear evidence of the threat, efforts to incorporate gender and sexuality education into school curricula remain controversial in Brazil — with the opposition led in large part by far-right politicians. Former President Jair Bolsonaro went so far as to bar Brazilian diplomats from discussing such topics in international forums.

Yet experts argue that the legal framework for inclusive education already exists.

“Meaningful progress has been made despite political pushback and anti-rights movements,” said Mariana Braga, a project officer at Unesco’s education sector in Brazil. She notes that national guidelines, including the Common Curriculum Base and Parameters, include provisions for gender and sexuality education.

Unesco has also promoted what experts call “Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Brazil,” aimed at equipping children and teens with the knowledge and values needed for healthy, respectful relationships. Still, implementation remains uneven. 

Braga said more must be done to support teachers and promote social-emotional learning in schools — particularly to protect girls and LGBTQ+ students, who remain the most common targets of hate speech.

Social media regulations remain elusive 

Adding to the challenge, Brazil’s digital platforms remain loosely regulated. Companies are only held accountable for harmful content if sued in court — which is a slow and uncommon process. While Congress has debated new laws, the country’s Supreme Court has taken up the issue, though proceedings have faced repeated delays.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s administration recently banned smartphones from classrooms. The policy, long demanded by educators and parents, is intended to minimize distractions, improve learning and help students develop interpersonal skills.

“That measure may reshape student interactions by reinforcing the principle of learning to live together,” said Braga. “It’s a strategy proven to reduce bullying and violence.”

Late last year, Meta — the parent company of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp — rolled out more restrictive Instagram accounts for teenagers. The feature, which has been available in Brazil since February, sets accounts to private by default, limits exposure to “sensitive content” on their feeds and turns off notifications overnight. 

Over the past week, Instagram has blanketed podcasts with ads promoting this new feature — part of a familiar playbook among tech platforms: touting incremental updates as transformative shifts, a tactic often used to deflect calls for more robust regulation.

Experts, however, say the feature is insufficient, as platforms’ age verification systems are incredibly lax and can be easily circumvented.

Other stories we’re following

🎨 The São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP), arguably the most important museum of Western art south of the Equator, has opened a new building adjacent to its iconic main structure. The expansion debuts with a series of exhibitions featuring works by French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir and celebrated Brazilian artists including Lygia Clark, Tomie Ohtake and Ferreira Gullar.

✊🏾 For the first time ever, Brazil has officially recognized its quilombola population — descendants of runaway enslaved people who established communities known as quilombos — as a distinct ethnic group in its census. The milestone came with the release of the “Brazil Quilombola” survey, which compiled data collected during the 2022 demographic count.

🎓 The University of São Paulo is granting honorary diplomas to 31 former students who were murdered during Brazil’s military dictatorship (1964-1985). The gesture aims to honor their memory and acknowledge the injustices they suffered under the authoritarian regime.