But he does not want players to be banned from using social media during the Junior World Championships in Minnesota.
Forsberg himself was very active on social media during his 15-year playing career – including in Skellefteå and Luleå – before retiring in 2020.
"Social media has become a part of young people's lives. So it's almost impossible to tell an 18-19-year-old to turn everything off. It's more about choosing how much you're on; we've talked about that a lot," he says.
Threatened on Instagram
In last year's tournament, goalkeeper Melker Thelin, then in Björklöven, now in Färjestad, was the target of hate and threats on his Instagram account after he conceded Finland's decisive goal in extra time in the semi-final.
This caused assistant national team captain Gereon Dahlgren to react in a sharp post on Facebook.
National captain Magnus Hävelid told Expressen after presenting this year's JVM squad that this example is just one of many in recent years.
"Things have happened that you don't communicate to the outside world. I notice in the players that many are better at openly talking about things, but now we have noticed that you need someone on site who is with us 24 hours a day," he said.
So there is a strong reason why Johan Forsberg is involved.
"It's of course tragic. It's not just about sports, it's a general societal problem that has gone in a completely wrong direction," says Forsberg.
With the whole season
Johan Forsberg is a licensed psychologist and began his five-year education in Umeå during his last season as a player, in Modo 2019–2020. He has been with the Juniorkronorna at all gatherings this season.
Ice hockey has generally been poor at using psychologists or mental coaches. Pär Mårts brought in psychologist Pär Pettersson during his years as national captain for Tre Kronor, the junior national team and HV71.
Otherwise, there have been few psychologists – other than as fire brigade calls during critical sporting situations for various clubs.
Forsberg on his duties during the JVM:
One part is the well-being of the players, addressing things that happen like hatred and threats; the second is being able to help the players perform; and the third is helping the coaching staff with communication and behavior in stressful situations.
