Lucy Bronze has addressed England’s decision to stop taking the knee before kick-off.
The Lionesses will no longer perform the act prior to their Women’s Euros semi-final against Italy on Tuesday, live on talkSPORT.
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It comes amid the vile racist abuse aimed at defender Jess Carter on social media.
The Gotham star has stepped back from her accounts as a result of the abhorrent messages.
Both the Lionesses squad and FA CEO Mark Bullingham have released statements demonstrating their support for Carter.
Bronze has also now shared her thoughts during a press conference in Switzerland.
She told reporters: “No player needs social media – we play football because we love the game.
“We do love connecting with our fans but we don’t need socials – and that’s something the platforms should be very aware of.
“We can thrive without it. It’s sad players are missing out on positive messages – Jess should be able to see the support of fans.”
Turning her attention to the social media companies themselves, the experienced full-back said: “Platforms need to be held accountable more – and so do individuals.
“This abuse and racism is not okay. People shouldn’t be allowed to be at home, write what they want and go on with their lives.”
As for the decision to stop taking the knee, Bronze admitted more must be done to combat racism in football.
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She added: “We feel as a collective ‘is the message really hitting hard?’ To us it feels like it’s not if these things are still happening to players.
“We want to put another statement out to say racism is still a problem, more needs to be done in football and society.
“As a collective, a team, and a federation, this is about trying to create a change.”
The Lionesses return to action on Tuesday in the semi-finals of the Women’s Euros.
Their reward for a penalty shootout victory over Sweden is a clash with Italy in the last four.
Either Spain or Germany then await the winners in the final on July 27.
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Sarina Wiegman’s side beat the latter in the final of the last Euros on home soil in 2022.
Meanwhile, they were narrowly beaten by Spain in the showpiece match at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.