OnSide praised by Sir Gareth Southgate in his 2025 Dimbleby lecture

– as our CEO Jamie calls for more positive real life spaces and youth workers to address toxic masculinity.

Sir Gareth Southgate has cautioned against  the “callous, manipulative, toxic” influencers preying on young men online –  and praised OnSide Youth Zones in his Dimbleby Lecture recorded for the BBC which aired last night. 

In his talk, the former England football manager explored the importance of building resilience;  ensuring that young men have strong role models; and why as a society, we must provide safe, real life spaces for all young people to flourish and grow.  

Ahead of the talk, Southgate visited our Mahdlo Youth Zone in Oldham. Making reference to the visit in his speech he said: “I went to a brilliant community centre, one of OnSide’s [Youth] Zones a couple of weeks ago and I saw children from all backgrounds playing, talking, and having fun. I don’t believe that young people just want to be on mobile devices or online. If we can create the right environments for them they will still want to go and play, and that might be a very important message.” 

Sir Gareth’s call to arms comes as the Netflix drama Adolescence, which focuses on similar themes, becomes the streaming service’s most-watched show in 70 countries. 

Commenting on the Dimbleby lecture, and toxic masculinity more broadly, Jamie Masraff, OnSide CEO said “Netflix’s Adolescence gives a powerful glimpse into the challenges young men face today, from isolation to the pull of online toxic masculinity culture. But sadly, this isn’t fiction. OnSide’s Generation Isolation 2024 research shows young people are spending more time than ever alone and online, disconnected from real-world support. 

“As Sir Gareth Southgate highlighted so powerfully in his Dimbleby Lecture last night, young men need stronger connections, purpose, and positive role models, and youth work is an untapped solution. Youth workers play a vital role as trusted mentors, helping young men build confidence, belonging, and healthy identities and offering the kind of guidance algorithms never will. In a world where toxic communities are just a click away, we urgently need more positive offline spaces, youth workers, and more real-life role models for young men to turn to. Youth centres offer all of this and more” 

To watch the Dimbleby lecture back visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00293l5/the-richard-dimbleby-lecture-sir-gareth-southgate