As a teacher's assistant, I have had the unique privilege of glimpsing through a student's eyes whose perspectives I typically would never have an opportunity to see. It is the best part of my job. When I was a TA for Western Political Philosophy, I graded an assignment where students referencing Aristotle’s Ethics evaluated a personal vice they had and proposed a virtue they would adopt for balance [1]. There were a variety of vices and struggles, but several male students wrote about sports gambling and how it left them isolated and unable to move forward in their lives. These men are prime examples of the crisis known as the ‘Male Loneliness Epidemic,’ and I want to do whatever I can to help them. But according to mainstream media, I, a black woman who has benefited from affirmative action, am the culprit who cursed young men to suffer.
In the first half of November, two liberal news outlets published articles with inflammatory titles about the decline of men’s health. They were: Did Women Ruin the Workplace? [2] from the New York Times, and What Did Men Do To Deserve This? by the New Yorker [3]. These articles accuse feminine dominance and “woke” culture of driving out masculinity and heavily contributing to the Male Loneliness Epidemic. Admittedly, much of the New Yorker article is spot on: men do have higher suicide rates, report more instances of loneliness, and live with their parents further into adulthood than women their age. But instead of searching for remedies, these statistics have been used as a tool to remind the left that they neglected a portion of the voting population, and are conveniently forgotten when the right cuts mental health programs that would assist the men that they claim to champion [4]. We have the ability to advocate for men’s mental health without using women and minorities as scapegoats, and instead looking for real solutions, starting with online gambling.
We can advocate for men’s mental health, but instead of using women and minorities as generic scapegoats, we should address individual culprits, starting with online gambling.
Online gambling is not the only cause of loneliness, but there has been an enormous increase in all chance-based games since the legalization of online gambling in 2018 [5]. The demographic that has increased online gambling the most have been men in their 20s. In 2022, 19% of adults reported they had bet money on a sporting event in the last year [6]. There are no federal agencies currently designated to regulate gambling advertisements or to address gambling addictions, despite the fact that men with a gambling disorder outnumber women two to one [7]. It is too early to properly document the increase of gambling addictions with the introduction of gambling apps, but signs indicate a trend change. After Ohio legalized online gambling, the number of daily calls to their gambling crisis hotline increased from 20 to 48 calls, with similar trends in other states [8]. Common symptoms of gambling addictions are isolation, restlessness, irritability, and suicidal thoughts [7]. If we truly want to combat the mental health crisis in young men, we cannot ignore the correlation of a rapid rise of men’s mental health issues [9] and the existence of new apps that specifically target sport fans, of which men are nearly three times more likely to be than women [10].
Luckily, public opinion of online gambling has declined over the past few years. Since 2022, the percentage of Americans who believe online gambling is bad for society has gone up by 26% [11]. But online betting companies are still gaining traction. Gambling of any kind is illegal in Utah, but there are several workarounds for those who want to spend money on chance, online being the primary option [12]. Last week, I opened Instagram (my toxic substance of choice), and was greeted by an advertisement to download Kalshi, a gambling app that allows you to “bet on the future”. To my surprise, this ad not only took place in Utah, but appeared to have been filmed on BYU campus [13]. This silent epidemic has reached us at home. We must address it. But how do we put this genie back in the bottle?
These solutions are not instantly effective, but they are essential. We need contributions from all involved parties. This begins with awareness on a federal level, increased resources for current addicts from state governments, and loving advocacy offered by you and me. State and federal governments must impose similar regulations as they do for other addictive substances, such as requiring large and visible warnings in online gambling advertisements. This same warning should be the first image you see when opening the gambling site of your choosing. Increased access to gambling addiction help lines can assist those who believe they cannot approach their loved ones about their addiction. But the most crucial part of combating gambling addictions and assisting the well-being of men is up to us. We, as family and friends, must keep this invisible addiction in the front of our minds and check on our men and other loved ones who may need help but will not ask for it. By strengthening our sense of community and uplifting our neighbors, even those with whom we possibly disagree, we will be able to reach and heal each other’s hearts instead of grabbing at each other's throats.
