A new government strategy for men’s health is being launched to tackle issues such as suicide, alcohol abuse and problem gambling.
Wes Streeting on LBC.
Picture:
LBC
Wes Streeting says young men face intense pressure from social media to live “perfect lives”, as he recalled his own difficulties growing up as a gay man in Britain.
The Health Secretary told LBC young men are “being bombarded with people’s perfect version of their lives and what it means to be successful” on social media.
His comments come following the announcement the government invest £3.6 million over the next three years in suicide prevention projects for middle-aged men in local communities where men are at most risk of taking their own lives, including some of the most deprived parts of England.
The Department of Health said men are less likely to seek help and can suffer in silence, and are more likely to smoke, drink, gamble and use drugs than women.
Mr Streeting said social media can be “quite hard” for men, adding: “I think that’s a kind of a new aspect of what is actually probably a much older phenomenon, which is we’re not always good at talking about how we are, our feelings, the things we’re worried about, physical health as well as mental health.”
Read more: New men’s health strategy will tackle suicide, alcohol abuse and problem gambling
Read more: Around one in three people have turned to AI for mental health help
Speaking to LBC’s Tom Swarbrick at Drive, Mr Streeting recognised the challenge many men still face with talking about their issues.
He said: “Although there are still some stigmas and taboo for women and girls, I think about women in my life and they are much more open about getting their breasts checked [and] smear tests.
“It’s very rare you’d sit in the pub with one of your mates and they turn around and say, ‘do you know what? I’ve got really swollen testicles. I’m a bit worried about it’. Let alone, ‘I’m actually really struggling.’”
Explaining why this might be, Mr Streeting said: “The problem is, everyone’s version of their lives from Instagram or TikTok or Facebook, you’re often seeing the perfect version.”
Mr Streeting said they have announced the men’s health strategy because while mental and physical health affects us all, there are ways in which this affects men and boys “in a particular way”.
He said: “The way that we have suicide rate is a really good example. In fact, that was, for me personally, that was the drive.
“That was the moment where I thought, we need a men’s health strategy.
“When I learned it was one of the biggest killers of men under the age of 50, I found that statistic so shocking I had to check it.”
Mr Streeting reflected on his own difficulties growing up dealing with expectations on men and boys.
He said: “As I’ve grown up, I’ve sort of felt more comfortable in my own skin.
“Growing up young, gay, finding it hard to accept being one of the kids in an all boys school who loved to do school drama, being one of the kids who was either brave enough or stupid enough to play occasionally the women parts in a school play. So that went down well.”
Mr Streeting said he performed as in a grey curly wig as Ernie’s mum in Ernie’s Incredible Illucinations by Alan Ayckbourn.
He added: “As someone who did get picked on quite a lot at school, when I stood on the school stage in front of an entire boys assembly in high heels with that grey wig on, I was actually taken aback afterwards how many people, including kids that had not been very nice to me, kind of came up to me and said, that took a lot of guts, respect.
“But, whether it’s that side of my character and personality, or whether it’s cheering on Arsenal or going to gigs, all of those things are different and acceptable forms of what it means to be a man.”