The impact of social media

Rugby union players Chris Ashton, Ugo Monye and Danny Care discuss their experiences with social media abuse and how to deal with online trolls.

The players discuss their experiences with social media abuse and its impact on their mental health. They talk about the abuse they have received in the past, including personal attacks and threats. The players discuss how they have dealt with the abuse, including blocking and deleting comments, and avoiding social media altogether.

They also mention that social media has made them more accessible to the public, but that this has also led to more abuse. They call for changes in social media policies to address the issue of faceless and cowardly abuse, and for better governance to hold people accountable for their actions. They also express how this kind of abuse can impact mental health and how they have struggled to deal with it in the past.

Rugby League Cares has produced a social media guidance document that addresses some of the issues raised in this video and provides practical advice and tips on how to deal with them.

 RLCares Social Media Guidance

Social media has provided a portal where people can feel closer to you. It make players more accessible than ever before but that shouldn't be used against them. You don't know what's going on in another person's life so don't ever pollute on social media. I wouldn't let anyone post s**t through my letterbox, and the same applies to my timeline. Anyone who does gets blocked.

Further Reading

• Should you tackle internet trolls?
• Handling social media trolls with ease
• Social media guidelines from Sport England