The British organisation Hope not Hate has analysed 300,000 posts on X during the World Cup and found 5,500 clearly racist posts directed at players in the England squad, reports the BBC.
According to the organisation, the platform's algorithms favoured hateful posts as they drive engagement among users.
"X is taking advantage of the hate. They use their algorithms to elevate it and show it to more users," Patrik Hermansson at Hope not Hate told the channel.
They appear among recommended content - they are not in hidden corners of the site, they are at the centre.
The study collected posts that mentioned English players by name or username on X, replies to these accounts or accounts belonging to the team, as well as posts that mentioned the England national team and other search terms.
Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Kobbie Mainoo are highlighted as players who have been particularly vulnerable.
X has not commented on the investigation.
