Andrew Tate is beyond salvation, but his misguided followers can still find happiness

The cost of living crisis and soaring housing prices are often cited as the reasons. But there is another factor that is rarely discussed: a crisis of identity among young men.

As a men’s coach and relationship coach working with thousands globally, I witness this crisis on a daily basis. Young men are growing up in a world without clear guidance on what it means to be a man. Traditionally, fathers passed down a model of masculinity that combined strength with responsibility, emotional resilience, and integrity. Many fathers today are either absent or struggling with their own unresolved wounds. This leaves young men searching for meaning elsewhere.

And where do they look? Online.

Instead of finding healthy role models, they stumble into the worlds of Andrew Tate, incel forums, and the Red Pill movement. These spaces offer an illusion of strength while feeding on pain, anger, and the rejection of women. They equate masculinity with domination, quick money, and external validation through cars, watches, and women as trophies. For young men lacking purpose, these messages are intoxicating.

How can we be surprised when many admire influencers like Tate, who proudly boasts about exploiting women through webcam businesses? In a society with a healthy understanding of masculinity, such behaviour would not be celebrated. It would be pitied as a sign of deep inner wounding. But in the current void, these figures fill the gap.

The consequences are far-reaching. Young men feel inadequate when they compare their lives to these false ideals. They retreat rather than advance into adulthood. They miss the chance to develop a mission, a craft, and a sense of grounded purpose. Instead of embracing the hard but fulfilling path of growth, they chase shortcuts that lead nowhere.

We cannot afford to ignore this. Raising boys today must involve more than academic achievement. They need guidance, mentorship, and male role models who embody strength with compassion, who lead not through control but through integrity.

The rise of influencers like Andrew Tate is not the cause of this crisis. It is the symptom. Until society redefines and models healthy masculinity, young men will continue to seek answers in the wrong places. And when millions of young men feel lost, society as a whole pays the price.

What Needs to Change?

If we want to reverse this trend, we must offer young men something better than what they find online. They need mentors who lead by example, not through bravado. Young men connect most deeply with qualities such as integrity, courage, and purpose when they see them modelled by someone they respect. This is what inspires them to develop these qualities within themselves.

They also need environments that support them in finding their own way. Not spaces that dictate a rigid path, but ones that challenge and encourage them to carve out their own. When young men are guided, supported, and encouraged rather than controlled, they step into adulthood with confidence and self-respect.

This starts with the culture we create. Parents, peers, and teachers all play a role in shaping the message young men receive. When a young man feels that there is space for him, that his path matters, and that finding his purpose is not only welcome but needed, he will rise to that expectation. In such an environment, the influence of figures like Andrew Tate fades, and young men naturally gravitate towards healthier examples of masculinity.

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Lorin Krenn is an internationally recognised relationship coach, author, hypnotherapist, and podcast host, specialising in masculine and feminine dynamics.

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