Your teen is likely seeing 'looksmaxxing' content online. Here's what you need to know

Sam Pratt was around 13 when he first saw people talking about "looksmaxxing" on YouTube.

The philosophy behind it seemed "pretty logical," said Pratt, now 17 and attending high school in Constance Bay, Ont., a suburb of Ottawa.

"Attractive people are treated better in society," he said. The idea is "just taking care of yourself and improving your looks as much as possible to gain a social advantage."

Looksmaxxing is an online subculture based around the idea that, in order to be successful in romantic partnership and life in general, boys and men should work actively to improve their appearance.

On the more moderate side of things, "softmaxxing" looks like normal self-care efforts — getting a decent haircut, treating acne, eating better and working out.

But on the extreme, some "hardmaxxers" inject peptides and steroids, get plastic surgery or engage in "bone smashing" — hitting themselves in the face with knuckles or even hammers in the hope microfractures will heal over to create more well-defined bones.

Aidan Walker, a culture writer based in Arlington, Va., said looksmaxxers call the process of improving their appearance "ascending."

"They'll often post these videos that'll be like pre-ascension and it'll be a pimply faced teenager," he told Front Burner host Jayme Poisson, whereas the "fully looksmaxxed" person will have clear-skin, a muscular physique and a sharper jawline.

If a child who is engaging in looksmaxxing also displays signs of anxiety, excessive worry and depression, or if they begin to withdraw from school, friends and activities they normally enjoy, parents should seek medical assessment, said Vancouver psychiatrist Dr. Shimi Kang, author of The Tech Solution: Creating Healthy Habits for Kids Growing Up In a Digital World.

Here's what parents and other concerned adults need to know about looksmaxxing and how to talk about it with youth.

Alhough the term was coined between 10 and 15 years ago — and may draw its nomenclature from a combination of gaming and incel culture — it's gone much more mainstream these last few years, said Walker.

That's largely in parallel with the rise of well-known looksmaxxing influencer Braden Peters, a 20-year-old from Hoboken, N.J., who goes by the nickname "Clavicular."

Since he was 14, Peters has posted about his own looksmaxxing efforts on platforms that have changed with the evolution of the internet.

"He went from the forums to Reddit to X to TikTok and now to livestreaming platforms like Kick and Twitch," said Walker.