United introduce Social Media Code

The Social Media Code exists to ensure everyone understands what is acceptable and what is potentially harmful when engaging with the club, its supporters, players and staff on social media.

The decision to produce the Social Media Code comes after the number of engagements flagged as abusive or discriminatory across club channels has increased over recent seasons.

In 2022, 640,000 posts were identified as being unacceptable and, by 2024, that number had quadrupled on the club’s platforms - which are crucial for the effective engagement between Manchester United and its millions of local and global supporters.

Within the Social Media Code, the club provides examples of ways to engage positively online as well as demonstrating the proactive role fans can play to keep social media a safe place for the wider football family.

Ian Nolan, chief content officer, said: “We are proud to be an inclusive and diverse football club, where everyone engaging with our social media accounts can feel welcome.

“We recognise the responsibilities that come with engaging with the millions of passionate local and global fans online and we have worked hard to build a positive community as we bring our supporters closer to the team and the club.

“Social media has become an important part of our engagement and we have always taken a proactive approach to ensure we are making this space as positive and inclusive as possible for those consuming our content and engaging with posts.

“We understand football is an emotive game and tensions can often run high, but our commitment to preventing abusive and/or discriminatory behaviour on social media is unwavering. It is important we continue to work collectively to create a respectful online environment for everyone.”

Across the wide-ranging and international Manchester United platforms, leading men’s and women’s players promote the club’s Social Code that clearly defines what is acceptable in the online community and what behaviour will not be tolerated.

The club regularly monitors all its social media channels for discriminatory or hateful comments and messages, proactively dealing with those that contravene or breach the policy. This may include removing posts, blocking users, and, in some instances, reporting cases to the relevant authorities.