Andy Murray has revealed that he and his wife Kim are actively trying to keep their four children away from social media, banning them from what the married couple believe to be “damaging” platforms. British tennis star Katie Boulter recently opened up on the hoards of abuse she receives after matches and has received an outpouring of support from the sporting community.
The British No. 1 shared “disgusting” messages that were largely related to gambling, with punters sending her death threats and vile threats. More tennis stars have shared similar stories in the days that followed, with Murray admitting that he too was on the receiving end of backlash despite retiring at last year’s Olympics.
After opening up on the “hostility” he was subjected to and how he found abuse “difficult” at the beginning of his career, Murray told the BBC: “I think it’s positive any time anyone can speak out about it. It’s great that [Katie] talked about it.
“Athletes across all sports have been discussing this for a long time, but it hasn’t really changed. Hopefully something can get done soon.”
The 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon champion admitted he was unsure of how the problem can be solved, but shared that he and his wife are purposefully keeping their four children off social media.
“If I’m being honest I don’t know,” a disappointed Murray added. “Me and my wife are trying to keep our children off social media until they are much older, because I think it can be pretty damaging.”
Murray’s children are all between the ages of nine and four and some social media applications have a minimum age as low as 13.
The Government’s Online Safety Act is currently being rolled out in an attempt to protect users from illegal or harmful content as well as stricter measures regarding child safety.
But figures released by the WTA Tour revealed that last year, over 8,000 abusive messages were sent to professional female players, prompting calls for the likes of Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg to do more.
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