Episode Description

I wasn't going to record this week.

But I watched that Louis Theroux manosphere documentary last night and I haven't been able to think about anything else since.

It was 2am. I was lying in bed feeling sick. Thinking about my girls. Thinking about the boys being fed this stuff right now. Thinking about what happens when those kids grow up and meet each other.

So I got up and recorded this.

This episode is me talking about what I saw. What scared me. What made me angry. And the one thought I can't shake — that my daughters are going to encounter boys who've spent years being told that women are less than. That kindness is weakness. That control is the same thing as strength.

I talk about the moment in the documentary that made me feel physically ill.

I talk about what it's like being a mum of girls right now and feeling like you're building something the internet is designed to tear down.

I talk about mums of boys. Because honestly? I think they're fighting one of the hardest fights going and not enough people are saying that.

I talk about smartphones. When to give them access. Why I think the delay matters more than we realise. And what I'm actually doing with my own kids right now.

I'm not an expert.

I'm not telling anyone how to parent.

I'm just a mum who watched something that frightened her and needed to say it out loud.

This one's raw. It's not polished. It wasn't planned. But I think it might be the most important thing I've recorded so far.

If you watch that documentary and feel something — come find me. I want to hear what you think.

Listen. Share it with a mum who needs it. And if you're lying awake at 2am thinking about this stuff too — you're not alone in that.

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Episode Summary

Episode: The Documentary That Kept Me Up at Night

  • Watched the Louis Theroux manosphere documentary and couldn't sleep after
  • The moment a man called a woman "disgusting and fat" on camera like it was nothing — and thousands of young boys watched it
  • These men have millions of followers and they're talking directly to kids
  • Boys are being told kindness is weakness, control is strength, and women are things to own
  • The one-way monogamy thing that made me furious
  • My fear for Maisie and Maeve growing up and meeting boys who've been fed this stuff for years
  • Feeling for mums of boys too — they're fighting against algorithms every single day
  • How a twelve-year-old can fall down a manosphere rabbit hole in seconds without even trying
  • The algorithm doesn't care if content is toxic — it just wants to keep kids watching
  • Why I'm not anti-technology but I am pro-protecting their minds while they're young
  • Why delaying smartphones matters more than we think
  • What my kids see in how my husband and I treat each other — and why that's the real lesson
  • Teaching kids to question what they see online and spot manipulation early
  • I'm not telling anyone how to parent — I'm just telling you what scared me

Lucy Dalton

Mummy, Nurse and Podcaster

A passionate nurse and devoted mummy, Lucy brings her wealth of experience and heartfelt stories to the Real Mummy Podcast. Join her as she inspires and empowers fellow parents with relatable, real-life tales that resonate deeply and offer genuine support.