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Exposure to and use of pornography is routine among young men. Males are more likely than females to intentionally use pornography, to do so regularly, and to first view it at a young age (Crabbe et al., 2024; eSafety Commissioner, 2023). In an Australian study of 15–29-year-olds, 100% of males and 82% of females reported ever viewing pornography (Lim et al., 2017). In another study among young people aged 15-20, over four-fifths (86%) of young men and over two-thirds (69%) of young women had seen pornography.

Globally, 90% of firearms homicides are committed by men, and men also make up the vast majority of the victims. The highest rates of homicide are mainly found in cities in the Americas, including the Caribbean, and southern Africa., mainly in cities. “Men killing men” disproportionately affects young people in the Global South who live in precarious economic circumstances. This has been the consistent demographic of lethal armed violence for decades.

How can we engage male students and staff on campus in violence prevention?

I want you to think for a moment about the young men you see every day on your campus. The young men in your classrooms, in the cafetaria, in the college residences, and so on. 

From social media influencers to academic theorists, preachers and politicians, everyone weighs in on the question of what makes a good man, especially what young men need to do embrace their masculinity.

Here’s a simple, sensible answer: If you want to be a good man, do your best to be a good person.

For generations, men have been told that toughness is strength and caring is weakness. Yet a quiet shift is underway. Across worksites, locker rooms, and living rooms, more men are discovering that empathy and kindness are not signs of softness but marks of real courage. Being strong and being kind can, and must, live side by side.

Cool to Care

Citation: Flood, M. (2025). Online violence prevention education for students. Queensland University of Technology, unpublished.

Note that these notes also may be downloaded in PDF here.

This new book:

• Explores young men’s online lives in the context of growing concerns about gender-based digital harms
• Offers nuanced insight into the complexities and tensions of young men’s positive and negative experiences online
• Proposes a framework for developing young men’s critical digital dispositions for gender-just online engagement

By Professor Amanda Keddie and Professor Michael Flood

Summary: This keynote address explores: