The Real Crisis Facing Young Men Today

A Generation Searching for Direction

After 40 years in ministry, Pastor Russ Ewell says the crisis facing young American men isn’t about “toxic masculinity” — it’s about the collapse of formation. One in four young men report feeling lonely. Educational motivation is slipping. Suicide rates are rising. Many feel disconnected from dating, community and purpose.

Ewell argues the problem isn’t who young men are — it’s what they’re missing.

Formation, Not Autonomy

For generations, boys became men within communities that provided structure, expectations and mentorship. Coaches, teachers, managers, pastors and neighbors offered guidance. Churches, civic groups, labor unions and youth organizations created built-in networks of belonging.

Today, many of those institutions have weakened. The pandemic accelerated the decline. In their place, autonomy has become the dominant message: self-define, self-direct, self-construct.

But Ewell believes young men cannot form themselves in isolation.

He reflects on his own life, crediting mentors who challenged him, modeled character and helped him grow. Without that guidance, he says, his path might have been very different.

The Cost of Isolation

Research shows that a lack of social support increases risks of depression, anxiety and poor health outcomes. While social media may offer the appearance of connection, it cannot replace embodied, personal relationships.

Ewell suggests that what’s labeled a “masculinity crisis” is actually a mentorship crisis. Young men who flourish typically have mature men actively investing in them. Those who struggle often do not.

Rebuilding Community

The solution, he argues, isn’t shaming young men but stepping in for them. Formation requires real people, real sacrifice and real community.

If society wants grounded, resilient young men, it must re-engage — not through screens, but through presence, accountability and care.