Don't Believe Everything You Read (or Hear) 'Bout Boys

1 in 3 boys are NOT suicidal.

Despite a recent misleading headline published by Parents, which claims “Nearly 1 in 3 Young Boys Report Suicidal Thoughts” and then promises to tell parents what they need to know.

Here’s what you really need to know: Whoever wrote and okayed that headline misinterpreted or misrepresented the data. The data shows that 1 in 3 boys under age 14 who contacted the Crisis Text line reported suicidal thoughts.

When, where, and how you get your information about boys matters, because there are those who will use info about boys for their own gain and purposes. They will twist facts and statistics to support their goals & leave out contradictory information.

There are also those who don’t know better. Who “parachuted” in to the topic of boys from somewhere else and simply don’t have a deep understanding of the history and context. Who don’t understand the baseline well enough to even see, much less question, a fact or statistic that doesn’t align with previous knowledge or on-the-ground-reality.

(I have some sympathy for this group — and for consumers of the work they produce — because I know that journalism budgets have been slashed in recent years. I know that the market is in the midst of yet another tremendous transformation and that there are far fewer journalists, fact checkers, and editors working today than even a fewer years ago — and that they are often expected to do more for less.)

Be Careful Who You Trust About Boys

The bottom line is this: You can’t trust everything you see or hear about boys. (Or about anything, actually. It’s 2026.) We’re in an era where the most extreme claims get the most attention, which is why you see & hear a whole lot more people talking about a gender war than pointing out the massive points of agreement and progress between men and women. (Hat tip to !)

Be skeptical of scary claims and headlines. There may well be some truth to them, but it’s healthy to approach with a degree of skepticism. Look not only at what they say but at what they don’t say as well. Measure what you read against what you know: Does it line up with what you see with your son, in your community? With other things you’ve read and heard on the same topic? Look too at their sources of evidence. Who are they citing? Who, if anyone, has been left out of the conversation?

When looking for information about boys, consider the source. Look for people who:

• Have been working in “boy space” for a while

• Work closely with or have personal experience with boys

• Collaborate with and cite the work of others

Bad info about boys won’t help any of us — and it sure won’t help our boys. So, let’s uplift some trusted sources of info. Who are your go-to sources for boy information? Drop a comment and share your favorites.

Here’s to building boys!
Jen

IN THE NEWS

What Working-Class Boys Need to Succeed in School: Respect & Open Conversations

Highlights:

• “In almost every public debate about boys, whether it be attainment gaps, misogyny or youth violence, teachers are positioned as society’s key defence… But it assumes that schools possess the frameworks, training, and relational bandwidth to meet these challenges. Crucially, it also assumes that we truly understand the daily dynamics between teachers and working‑class boys. The reality is that we don’t.”

• “Rather than a focus on what boys need to achieve at school, there’s a risk that [boys] are seen, both within schools and by the general public, as perpetrators of misogyny and violent behaviour in waiting”

• “Around 90% of teachers reported that they consistently modelled dignity and respect in the classroom. But when speaking with the boys, often they described the respect they received from teachers as conditional, inconsistent or transactional.”

• “Boys… described significant emotional needs which were often unmet, limited safe spaces to discuss feelings, and punitive responses to distress.”

• “Our research showed that when reflective, safe, judgement-free conversations occurred, the boys and young men responded positively. It demonstrates that working‑class boys engage, reflect and thrive in educational contexts where they feel respected, listened to and understood.”

I Let My Son Walk to His Grandma’s House. Then the Police Showed Up.

Highlights:

• “He asked to walk to his Ma-Maw’s house three blocks away. We’ve practiced crossing streets, and he knows the way.”

• “A second officer was called to the scene…They started asking him…’Do you know your address? Your phone number?’ He lied and said no—for reasons that later became clear…[later] He said, ‘I didn’t want you or Daddy to be arrested.’”

How I Became a National Crisis

Highlights:

• “We generally understand that the harmful actions of some individuals should not be used to indict entire identities, demographics, or belief systems wholesale…Yet discussions around masculinity increasingly drift toward precisely that kind of framing: treating masculinity not as something that can be guided positively or negatively, but as something inherently suspect in itself.”

• “If we genuinely want to prevent radicalisation, we need to understand why some boys become vulnerable to it in the first place.”

• “Most boys are not looking for hatred. We’re looking for direction. For identity. For belonging. For guidance.”

Almost Half of Teens are Languishing. How Can You Help a Kid Who Seems Profoundly Stuck?

Highlights:

• “I hate that everything falls to us parents: to manage tech and AI, because the government won’t regulate it; to manage disengagement, even though the design of schooling fails many kids; to manage preparing them for a workforce we can’t even begin to understand, because everything is changing.”

• “Adolescents are neuro-biologically wired to resist parental guidance; it’s part of the necessary separation they are performing at that age. Struggling teens may resist it even more.”