Speaking to "Ringvaade," Pere described the manosphere as: "Essentially a community which despises women, while claiming that the role of men in society is being diminished and must urgently be saved. The figurehead of this movement is social media personality Andrew Tate, who recruits people into this online movement."

"Ringvaade" played excerpts from Tate videos, including one in which he stated: "Females don't have independent thought. They don't come up with anything. They're just empty vessels, waiting for someone else to install the programming. And then they become conservative, liberal, feminist, whatever."

Pere said: "For those promoting this movement, the most important thing is making money. Tate even has his own school, where he teaches how to live the 'right' way. These are mainly teenage and younger boys, who struggle with self-confidence or don't get enough attention. Content creators — or 'manfluencers' — offer solutions to the problems young men face."

These include: "How to get rich, how to get a partner, and how to dominate her. Because in their world, a woman cannot be an equal alongside you," Pere added.

This is part of an apparent bait-and-switch cult. "They also teach people to stand up for themselves — from physical fitness to the idea that if you need to establish your territory, force isn't seen as bad. These teachings go to extremes. Saying 'health, life skills, and finance' sounds good, but underlying it all are questionable methods," Pere went on.

According to Pere, similar mindsets are gaining traction in Estonia. "I've spoken with Estonian researchers at the University of Tartu, and according to them, this is becoming more widespread. Fortunately, people are starting to talk about it; previously, the media didn't cover it much. So perhaps the problem is getting attention. In Estonia, there are TikTok and Instagram users who share the same mindset. They have dozens to hundreds of followers, but it's important to emphasize that every view and like fuels this further. I won't mention who, where, or what," Pere added.

The statistics also reflect a retreat of male youth toward regressive values. "In 2016, 22 percent of 15-year-old boys thought men were better suited for politics than women. By 2022, that figure had risen to 49 percent. If I'm not mistaken, in 1999 the figure was 46 percent. This backslide is massive, and it comes with more consequences. It is part of a broader influence campaign," Pere noted.

In Pere's view, the manosphere has been made so palatable for Estonian youth that it's hard to break away from its grip. "The main problem isn't with the youth, but with the fact that this content is being fed to them. They're not given alternative information, and sometimes they simply haven't been taught what normal, tolerant behavior is, how to view gender roles, or how to talk about race. If parents and teachers aren't actively discussing these topics, a young person's thinking can become extreme," he continued.

As for solutions, Pere said: "We shouldn't rush at young people and tell them they're wrong. That amplifies things, creating a counter-reaction. Instead, we should introduce normative values, talk, talk, and talk. Then, if the young person isn't already entrenched in extremism, they can still be brought back."

Tate, 38, is a former pro kickboxer and son of international chess master Emory Tate. He has been dubbed the "king of toxic masculinity" and has described himself as a misogynist. Raised in both the U.S. and the U.K., he came to prominence and made a lucrative career as a social media influencer.

Tate first came to the public's attention in 2016 when he appeared on reality show Big Brother. He was removed after homophobic and racist tweets surfaced, though Tate claimed his removal was due to a video showing him striking a woman with a belt on the show.

Despite this, he continued to rise to social media fame, becoming the third-most googled person in 2023. Tate has around 10.7 million followers on Twitter, now X, with estimates of his worth ranging from US$20 million to US$700 million.

He and his brother Tristan are facing several criminal charges, mainly in Romania where they had based their operations, including for rape, human trafficking, and money laundering. U.K. authorities are also investigating Tate for tax evasion. He was banned from entering the U.S., but the ban was lifted when Donald Trump entered office for a second term as U.S. president. The Tate brothers traveled to the U.S. in February.

British television psychological crime drama "Adolescence," which recently aired on Netflix, addresses some of the issues relating to toxic masculinity.

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