Ofcom warned toxic abuse threatens female sport

The head of Sport England wrote to Ofcom, the regulator of the communications industry, to express its “deep concern” about the recent wave of racist and sexist abuse allegedly directed at England’s women’s football team on social media.

The “toxic culture that persists online threatens to undermine” efforts to increase female participation, according to Chris Boardman, the organization’s chairman.

In a letter seen by BBC Sport, Boardman wrote: “This behavior is disgusting and unacceptable in any situation, but it is especially disheartening given our efforts to champion women and girls in sport.

Through the investments of Sport England and the National Lottery, we have committed hundreds of millions of pounds to promoting women’s and girls’ participation in sport.

The Online Safety Act became law in October 2023, making it clear that Ofcom is in charge of enforcing the law and creating best practices to guide tech companies, and that social media platforms have a duty to protect users from racism. Some anti-racism activists believe there needs to be more urgency, though.

According to Boardman, “The Online Safety Act 2023 provides a framework for dealing with illegal and harmful content, including misogynistic abuse and hate speech.”

We are particularly interested in how to use the new codes to combat the kind of arbitrary abuse we are seeing. We are aware that Ofcom has also published draft guidelines for improving online safety for women and girls, and we would appreciate the chance to discuss how these guidelines can be strengthened and put into effect.

“For too long, the big tech companies have been allowing internet trolls to spread bile and misery, and this cannot continue.”

Could you please let us know what additional steps can be taken in the wake of the current regulatory framework to combat online racism and misogyny?

Social media companies and Ofcom “must do more,” according to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, according to BBC Sport.

She said, “I believe the act will continue to be tested every time a problem arises, and it is incumbent on those like Ofcom and social media platforms to take proactive steps in bringing this issue to light,” adding that.

We introduced the Online Harms Act this year to ensure that businesses that don’t remove this content are subject to sanctions, and we are working hard in schools to raise awareness of the effects of online abuse. However, we must all do this.

We are completely in support of Jessica Carter and the Lionesses, and it is absolutely scandalous what she endured.