Can I suggest that any mum of pre-teen or teen boys watch a few Andrew Tate videos. It is impossible to defeat what you don’t fully understand. Andrew Tate is very insidious in what he does and knowledge is power.
Your 12 year old son isn’t going to be reading news stories on Andrew Tate and his misogyny, mistreatment of women and his utter contempt for men who don’t fit his narrow view of what masculinity is. He’s not going to read about Andrew Tate’s money making scams and how he sucks money from vulnerable young men and teen boys.
He’s going to be seeing videos and sound bites that resonate with him. That seem reasonable. That seem ok. He's going to be told that society views men and boys as a problem. He’s going to be told that there’s nothing wrong with being a man and that masculinity is a great good in the world. He’s going to be told to respect himself and his body. Be healthy. Don’t use drugs. Be strong. Be a leader. Work hard. He’s going to remember all the “unfair” times at school when in his mind girls got away with stuff that the boys didn’t. He’s going to remember being told off for boisterous play and exuberance. He’s going to remember that the books he wanted to read, about explorers and adventurers were never in the library and if they were, how the librarian sneered at his interest. Your son will see Andrew Tate videos and telling your son to not watch them and that Andrew Tate is a nasty misogynistic arsehole won’t cut it. Andrew Tate is a nasty misogynistic arsehole, albeit a very fascinating one. Because that is not who your son will see at first. And before you know it, it will be too late.
Parents need to understand Andrew Tate. Talk to your sons about him. Talk about videos you have watched. I talk to my son about him all the time. I tell my son that he will see videos and they will seem fine and positive and inspiring. I tell my son that he is smart and he must use his critical thinking skills. I tell my son that there will come a point where something doesn’t sit right and that’s the time to think about what Andrew Tate’s endgame is and to talk to me about it. I won’t be angry. I won’t be disgusted. I won’t screech and wail about “the patriarchy”. But I will help guide him through without judgement.
Just for the record, the four families I know with sons stuck down the Andrew Tate rabbit hole all are leftie progressive families with strong independent mums. None of these mums and dads would have dreamt of trying to understand Andrew Tate and they are bewildered as to why their sons love him when they told their sons that he was evil and a misogynist and that their sons should never watch him. That way doesn't work.