diff --git a/sdk/android/src/jni/android_network_monitor.cc b/sdk/android/src/jni/android_network_monitor.cc
index 03675132d7..fa82816431 100644
--- a/sdk/android/src/jni/android_network_monitor.cc
+++ b/sdk/android/src/jni/android_network_monitor.cc
@@ -229,8 +229,7 @@ AndroidNetworkMonitor::AndroidNetworkMonitor(
     : android_sdk_int_(Java_NetworkMonitor_androidSdkInt(env)),
       j_application_context_(env, j_application_context),
       j_network_monitor_(env, Java_NetworkMonitor_getInstance(env)),
-      network_thread_(rtc::Thread::Current()),
-      safety_flag_(PendingTaskSafetyFlag::Create()) {}
+      network_thread_(rtc::Thread::Current()) {}
 
 AndroidNetworkMonitor::~AndroidNetworkMonitor() {
   RTC_DCHECK(!started_);
@@ -250,8 +249,10 @@ void AndroidNetworkMonitor::Start() {
   bind_using_ifname_ =
       webrtc::field_trial::IsEnabled("WebRTC-BindUsingInterfaceName");
 
-  // Needed for restart after Stop().
-  safety_flag_->SetAlive();
+  // This pointer is also accessed by the methods called from java threads.
+  // Assigning it here is safe, because the java monitor is in a stopped state,
+  // and will not make any callbacks.
+  safety_flag_ = PendingTaskSafetyFlag::Create();
 
   JNIEnv* env = AttachCurrentThreadIfNeeded();
   Java_NetworkMonitor_startMonitoring(
diff --git a/sdk/android/src/jni/android_network_monitor.h b/sdk/android/src/jni/android_network_monitor.h
index 6349a11cf6..423ae3a66c 100644
--- a/sdk/android/src/jni/android_network_monitor.h
+++ b/sdk/android/src/jni/android_network_monitor.h
@@ -149,8 +149,8 @@ class AndroidNetworkMonitor : public rtc::NetworkMonitorInterface {
   // This applies to adapter_type_by_name_, vpn_underlying_adapter_type_by_name_
   // and FindNetworkHandleFromIfname.
   bool bind_using_ifname_ RTC_GUARDED_BY(network_thread_) = true;
-  const rtc::scoped_refptr<PendingTaskSafetyFlag> safety_flag_
-      RTC_PT_GUARDED_BY(network_thread_);
+  rtc::scoped_refptr<PendingTaskSafetyFlag> safety_flag_
+      RTC_PT_GUARDED_BY(network_thread_) = nullptr;
 };
 
 class AndroidNetworkMonitorFactory : public rtc::NetworkMonitorFactory {