For years, NYU professor, host of the Prof G Pod and bestselling author Scott Galloway has been sounding the alarm: American men are struggling and it’s becoming a full-blown national emergency.
On MSNBC, Galloway rattled off stats such as that men are “Four times more likely to kill themselves, three times more likely to be homeless or addicted … 12 times more likely to be incarcerated.” (1)
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His message is that boys and men are in freefall and both political parties have basically ignored it. He warns of misogynistic influencers, online extremism and entire ecosystems built to prey on disaffected young men.
“On a very meta level, the most violent and unstable places in the world have one thing in common. They have a disproportionate number of young men without opportunity and we’re producing way too many of them,” he cautioned.
According to Galloway, economic pressures and mental health issues are driving these trends and the system just isn’t keeping pace.
Men are falling behind
Though women’s rise in education and leadership is a win for everyone, Galloway thinks that at the same time, a lot of men are slipping and the country hasn’t really figured out how to talk about it. Still, the data is undeniable:
- Men are falling behind in college enrollment and graduation. As of 2023, only 39% of young men who finished high school were enrolled in college (2).
- In 2021, 12% of men reported not having a single close friend, up from just 3% in 1990 (3).
- 98% of mass shooters are male (4), to which Galloway says, “And what do all these men have in common that we were talking about? They’re actually less politically engaged than the people sitting around this table. They’re men who aren’t connecting to church. They’re not connecting to their parents. They’re not connecting to school. They’re not connecting to work.”
Galloway feels there is a lack of leadership: “What we have is a situation where neither party is really addressing the issue.”
But his biggest warning is aimed at Big Tech.
“Essentially, our economy now is a giant bet on AI and Big Tech. And their big bet is they can keep you on your phone, sequestered from your key relationships,” he said. Increased screen time is linked with less time spent on work, skill-building and in-person social networks.
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And the data backs him up:
- 46% of U.S teens between the ages of 13-17 say they use the internet “almost constantly” and out of that group, 44% are boys (5)
- One in four men under the age of 35 feels lonely (6)
- Adolescents who spend more than 3 hours online daily are more prone to mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety (7)
The broader economic backdrop is also shifting.
Since 2000, housing costs have climbed 65% (8) and childcare costs have surged 220% (9). At the same time, wages for men over the past 40 years have fallen 28% (10). That financial strain has mental health implications as money stress is a leading contributor to depression and anxiety (11).
Relationship trends are also changing. Roughly 60% of young men surveyed by Pew Research said they were single (12). While women tend to engage with family and friends more often, men more often rely on their spouses or partners as a primary source of social connection and support (13). The ‘loneliness’ epidemic hits both men and women in different ways and getting an understanding of how boys and men can manage it is key.
No easy fixes
Galloway stresses that despite the doom and gloom statistics, there are solutions.
One of Galloway’s biggest fixes starts with rebuilding real economic on-ramps for young men. That means giving them more than a college-or-bust ultimatum. Expanding vocational training and apprenticeships would open up solid, middle-class careers without the crushing tuition bill.
Making childcare affordable would allow young couples to build stable, two-income households instead of feeling like they’re drowning before they even start. And easing the path to first-time homeownership with targeted tax breaks could help young men actually plant roots instead of drifting.
He also wants the country to treat Big Tech the way it treats utilities: with guardrails. That means shutting down algorithms that push violent or self-harm content at kids and enforcing real age limits on social media so platforms can’t shrug off harm to minors.
Another piece of the puzzle is mentorship. Boys who have a steady male role model do better in almost every category — whether it’s grades, income, or behavior. Programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters already prove how dramatically one consistent adult can change a young person’s trajectory (14).
Practical real-world tips
Whether or not you agree with Galloway’s solutions, you don’t have to sit on the sidelines and wait for major policy changes. Here are some practical steps men can take to focus on their well-being and personal growth:
- Reduce your screen time and replace it with real-world interactions, like going to the gym, clubs and classes.
- Build financial resilience by starting an emergency fund, learning trade skills, or pursuing post-secondary education — whatever makes most sense for your particular situation.
- Make time to build and strengthen your relationships with family and friends. Being social and having a community (in-person, not online) is key to being healthier (15).
- Find mentors, or consider being a mentor if you’re in the position to do so. As Galloway puts it: “If we want better men, we need to be better men.”
- Prioritize your physical health and find ways to exercise daily.
Scott Galloway’s message is that America’s men are falling behind economically, emotionally and socially, even as Big Tech profits from isolation. He believes that rebuilding the pathways to adulthood will help young men form families, build wealth and contribute meaningfully to their communities. Taking everyday, consistent steps in these areas can help individuals who are struggling to build stability, connection and resilience.
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Article sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
@msnow (1); Pew Research Center (2; 5; 12); Survey Center on American Life (3); The Violence Prevention Project Research Center (4); Gallup (6); Springer Nature Link (7); U.S. Department of the Treasury (8); First Five Years Fund (9); Brookings (10); Nature (11); American Institute for Boys and Men (13); Big Brothers Big Sisters (14); Office of the U.S. Surgeon General (15)
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