Rice quit X over mental health impact

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice has revealed he reduced his use of social media because it is bad for his mental health. Rice quit X three years ago after he was targeted for online abuse, and he has not returned to the platform since.

He said negative comments could dramatically affect his mood, explaining: “You could be having a great morning. You read one thing, and it just ruins your whole day.”

Rice still has an Instagram account, but his long-term partner Lauren Fryer has also been targeted and she deleted all previous posts from her account in 2024. Speaking after being named among the Men of the Year, Rice also expressed concern about social media's impact on children.

“I think social media for kids is 100 per cent a problem. I don't feel like there's as much personality now as there was a few years ago,” he added.

Rice also commented on the money in football, calling it “ridiculous” and stressing the importance of teaching his son Jude values. “It's important to understand what things cost, even if you don't have to worry about paying for them. You still want to teach your kid values, not wanting them to be spoiled,” he said.