Sir Andy Murray, the retired tennis star, is calling for tougher action against “damaging” social media abuse, revealing he’s shielding his own children from the platforms.
His comments follow British tennis player Katie Boulter’s disclosure of receiving death threats online.
Murray, 38, noted that online abuse hasn’t subsided despite athletes speaking out for years.
“Athletes across all sports have been discussing this for a long time, but it hasn’t really changed. Hopefully something can get done soon,” he told BBC Sport.
As a father of four, Murray is actively keeping his children, aged four to nine, off social media, citing its potential for harm.
This aligns with the UK government’s Online Safety Act, which aims to better protect young people from harmful content.
The issue is widespread, with data showing approximately 8,000 abusive messages sent to 458 tennis players in 2024. This has led to calls for measures like identity verification from other players.
Murray, however, remains uncertain about the solution, questioning whether governments or platform owners like Elon Musk should bear more responsibility, while acknowledging the complex debate around free speech.
He also suggested athletes could try to avoid comments, but stressed the problem isn’t theirs alone to solve.
These remarks came as Murray participated in an event celebrating the LTA’s Park Tennis Project, which has refurbished over 3,000 tennis courts across the UK.
