Sir Gareth Southgate delivers powerful speech as he fears young men are spending too much time 'gambling' and 'watching pornography'

Sir Gareth Southgate fears young men are spending too much time gaming, gambling and watching pornography as they yearn for better role models amid the increasing rise in "manipulative and toxic" influencers.

The former England manager was invited by the BBC to deliver the 46th Richard Dimbleby Lecture at the University of London.

Here, Southgate was determined to use the platform to move away from football and discuss a range of topics, including leadership, resilience and belief around the younger generation, specifically young men.

"I spent months travelling the length and breadth of the country, visiting schools, businesses, community centres, military academies, sports facilities and even a prison. In all those interactions, there’s one topic that keeps being brought to my attention," he said on LinkedIn.

"Young men are struggling and falling behind. And whilst I care deeply and equally about the plight of young women, it was women themselves who urged me to explore what was happening with young men."

Southgate's lengthy speech focused on the importance of belief and resilience for young men.

"Too many young men are isolated," he said. "Too many feel uncomfortable opening up to friends or family. Many don't have mentors - teachers, coaches, bosses - who understand how best to push them to grow. And so, when they struggle, young men inevitably try to handle whatever situation they find themselves in, alone."

He added: "Young men end up withdrawing, reluctant to talk or express their emotions. They spend more time online searching for direction and are falling into unhealthy alternatives like gaming, gambling and pornography."

The 54-year-old, who enjoyed an 18-year playing career with Crystal Palace, Middlesbrough and Aston Villa before moving into coaching, believes young men are not failing enough to learn from their mistakes.

"In my opinion, if we make life too easy for young boys now, we will inevitably make life harder when they grow up to be young men," he said.

"Too many young men are at risk of fearing failure, precisely because they've had so few opportunities to experience and overcome it. They fail to try, rather than try and fail."

Southgate also brought up the topic of "toxic" influencers and how many young men continue to search for direction online.

Last year, a survey conducted by Hope Not Hate found that eight in ten boys aged 16-17 had consumed online influencer Andrew Tate’s content and that 45% of men in Britain aged 16–24 had a positive view of him.

"These are callous, manipulative and toxic influencers, whose sole drive is for their own gain," Southgate said.

"They willingly trick young men into believing that success is measured by money or dominance, that strength means never showing emotion, and that the world, including women, is against them."