Ofcom has written to social media companies to remind them of their responsibilities regarding online abuse and said it will monitor measures taken against “illegal hate content” during the World Cup.

After the experience of England players during the men’s 2021 European Championship and the women’s Euros last year, Ofcom has urged online platforms to make sure they have effective mitigations against abuse in place and that they are “adequately prepared for increased occurrence during the World Cup”.

The risk of online harms related to major sporting events is “an area of significant concern” for the regulator, Ofcom says, citing its own research that shows the effect abuse has on players and others.

“In previous tournaments, players, officials and coaching staff representing the home nations have experienced online hate, threats, abuse and harassment”, Ofcom’s letter reads. “Spikes in the circulation of this content have often targeted Black and minority ethnic players, as well as being on the basis of perceived sexual orientation or disability status.”

Ofcom’s research “highlighted the scale, severity and normalisation of abuse online, including racist and threatening content directed at sportspeople, commentators and others in the public eye. Participants reported that such abuse is often relentless, highly visible and difficult to control. It can result in fear for personal and family safety or withdrawal from public life, as well as affecting health and wellbeing.”

The letter notes that Fifa research found the quarter-final between France and England caused the largest spike in abuse against players during the 2022 men’s World Cup. This followed the abuse directed at Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho after England’s penalty shootout defeat by Italy in 2021. In March, a man was given a suspended jail sentence after he was found guilty of directing “malicious communications” towards Jess Carter during the women’s Euros in 2025.

Ofcom says it will monitor the way companies deal with abuse on their platforms using a “live compliance programme” and will share information with other key stakeholders, including the Football Association and the UK Football Policing Unit.

The Online Safety Act requires social media companies ensure numerous measures are in place to keep their users safe. A central demand is that all social media platforms should have an “adequately resourced” content management team capable of removing illegal content. They are also required to have an “easy and accessible” complaints system, tools that enable users to disable comments and a named individual responsible for the ultimate compliance with the rules.

Ofcom is the independent regulator of online safety after the introduction of the Online Safety Act, which came into effect in 2023. Under the act, it has the ability to fine a company £18m, or up to 10% of worldwide revenue, if it fails to take action against illegal content.