Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson will cede control of all of his social media accounts to an anti-cyberbullying charity.
The Cybersmile Foundation, a UK registered non-profit and charity, helps tackle online abuse and provides support to victims of cyberbullying and online hate campaigns.
England midfielder Henderson has long been an activist in the fight against rising levels of abuse and discrimination in the game, discussing the issue with the government earlier this year.
Although the 30-year-old was on the verge of retiring from social media altogether, he has now decided to use his channels in a positive way instead of raising awareness about the impact of online abuse and providing direct access to education, reporting tools and support resources. .
It comes the same day that players and staff at Swansea City announced they would boycott social media for a week after a wave of ‘heinous’ racial abuse on platforms.
Jamal Lowe, Yan Dhanda and Ben Cabango have all been victims of racist abuse on social media since February.
Swansea players join a growing list who have fallen victim to online abuse in recent weeks, Brentford’s Ivan Toney also abused after Tuesday night’s goalless draw with Birmingham.
Manchester United quartet Anthony Martial, Axel Tuanzebe, Marcus Rashford and Fred have also been targeted, the latter saying “we cannot nurture this culture”.
Former Arsenal striker Thierry Henry also described racism on social media as “too toxic to ignore” and has disabled all of his accounts following recent instances on the platform.
British Football Police Chief Constable Mark Roberts last month said the response from social media companies in helping police identify attackers has been “dismal”.
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