Joel Could Be Any Teenage Boy: Why EastEnders’ Latest Storyline Should Worry Us All
By Andrea West, Co-Chair of UK Feminista
I don’t usually find myself referencing EastEnders in my work, but it’s recent storyline about Joel, a teenage boy drawn into the world of violent pornography and online misogyny, felt all too close and too painfully real.
In classrooms, friendship groups and homes across the country, young boys are being pulled into the online world of the “manosphere”: a mix of influencers, forums and social media algorithms that feed them a steady stream of misogyny, conspiracy theories and extreme pornography. It’s happening younger than many people realise, and as the adults in these young peoples’ worlds, we need to wake up.
It’s subtle at first – they view a few videos about “how to get respect” in a world where all the power and influence has been reportedly given to women. But soon it escalates into content blaming women for men’s problems, mocking consent, and glorifying control and dominance. For boys like Joel who are confused, angry, or looking for guidance or belonging, the pull is strong. And that should terrify us all.
“It’s Just a Phase” Isn’t Good Enough
There’s still a tendency to downplay this to say “it’s just teenage boys being teenage boys”. But when boys are consuming content that promotes violence against women, mocks survivors of abuse, or tells them that their value lies in how much control they have over others, that’s not a phase. It’s radicalisation. The truth is: misogyny is being marketed to boys. And it’s working.
At UK Feminista, we hear all too often about the sexism and sexual harassment rife in schools – a culture increasingly fuelled by online misogyny. Students tell us their social media feeds are saturated with harmful content that’s disturbingly easy to access. We’ve heard from girls whose bodies are routinely ‘rated’ by boys, and from female teachers subjected to misogynistic abuse by students who’ve been emboldened by online influencers preaching that women in positions of authority deserve neither respect nor obedience.
And we know it’s not happening in a vacuum.
Pornography Is Setting the Script
When EastEnders showed Joel watching degrading pornography and repeating those sexual scripts in his real-life relationships, and in the classroom, it wasn’t exaggerating. Boys’ first exposure to sex is increasingly online and unfiltered. Violent, dehumanising pornography is setting expectations about what sex looks like, what women want, and what boys are supposed to do.
When that’s combined with a media and political climate that frames feminism as a threat, and masculinity as under attack, the result is a generation of boys being told that empathy is weakness and equality is emasculation.
We Can Do Better and We Have To
We need to be brave enough to name what’s happening and we all have a role in acting for change. That means ensuring schools are supported to combat sexism and sexual harassment – including the impact of online misogyny and pornography – as part of a ‘whole school approach’. Students, teachers and parents must all be involved in crucial conversations and action against the problem. We need to hold tech platforms accountable. The algorithms and website operators know what they’re doing. Platforms are pushing boys toward increasingly extreme content because it drives engagement. That’s not accidental – it’s profit-driven misogyny. And we need to fund the organisations doing the work, battling this every day, often with zero extra resources and increasing political pressure.
As feminists, we fight for a world free from inequality and abuse. That means protecting girls and women from harm, but it also means challenging the forces that are pulling boys into hate and isolation. We don’t blame boys for being targeted. We challenge the systems that are targeting them. We are proud to be part of the growing global feminist movement demanding an end to sexism and violence against women and girls – from sexual harassment and misogyny in schools, to commercial sexual exploitation of women and girls in pornography. Pornography is not “just fantasy” – it is a training ground for misogyny. And there is no equality or justice while women’s bodies are bought, sold, and consumed.
We hear too often that this is “too complicated” to talk about. But what could be more urgent than tackling the industries that profit from abuse, and that are actively shaping the worldview of a generation of boys? Joel’s story in EastEnders is fictional, yes. But it’s based on real fears, real experiences, and real harm. We owe it to every Joel out there and to everyone harmed by the ideologies he’s being fed to take this seriously.
Because the world we’re trying to build for all of us depends on it.
Download resources on online influencers and misogyny now from our online resource hub.