Celebrities Quit Social Media to Protect Their Mental Health
Some say that if you aren’t on social networks you’re a nobody, but these celebrities have set an unprecedented example to the contrary by quitting social media to take care of their mental health. Find out which celebrities quit social media – don’t miss it!
According to the most recent Global Digital Report, the total number of social network users is 4.7 billion, as of July 2022.
Every day, these people upload content of all kinds and interact with their community. In the case of celebrities, they receive praise and congratulations, but also a lot of criticism, as their lives become a matter of public domain.
In this regard, a question arises: how much do social networks affect people’s mental health? We’ll answer this question through the experience of several celebrities.
These celebrities quit social media
Quitting social media and staying away from cell phones has been called social detox or digital detox. Several celebrities have done it. Among them, we find Tom Holland, Adele (in the cover photo) and Selena Gomez. We’ll tell you their reasons for distancing themselves from their followers.
Tom Holland
In August 2022, Tom Holland, the actor who brings Spiderman to life on the big screen, confessed that digital platforms were detrimental to his well-being.
He emphasized that he felt emotionally affected when he found things about himself on the internet and, after saying goodbye to his Instagram community (more than 67 million followers) with a video, he deleted his accounts. Faced with his decision, many colleagues supported and congratulated him.
Selena Gomez
Before Holland, Selena Gomez had already given us the same lesson in 2017, when she deleted her Instagram account after being the victim of a hack, without caring that she totaled more than 300 million followers. However, it wasn’t until April 2022 that she spoke about what happened.
I’m happier. I’m more present, I connect more with people. It makes me feel normal. Before, I used to focus a lot on negative comments and I didn’t feel good.
Adele
Adele also disappeared from her social networks for quite a while after her breakup. Currently, she only keeps her Instagram account on which she has more than 50 million followers. However, she rarely posts content. This makes sense, because she revealed that it isn’t properly hers.
However, this wasn’t the most revealing. The singer said that after canceling a tour in Las Vegas, she created a secret Twitter profile to check what was being talked about it, but found many negative comments that ended up upsetting her.
Other celebrities who have quit social media as they believe that they affect their mental health include Ed Sheeran, Millie Bobby Brown, Harry Styles, Kendall Jenner, Justin Bieber, Lizzo, and Kanye West.
What is the relationship between social networks and mental health?
In addition to revealing how many people have profiles on social networks today, the Global Digital Report 2022 established that people spend an average of 2 hours and 27 minutes a day connected to digital platforms. However, this varies according to the countries analyzed.
For example, in Nigeria, the average is 4 hours and 7 minutes, while in Colombia it is 3 hours and 46 minutes. Among the least dedicated are Japan (51 minutes), Germany (1 hour and 29 minutes), United Kingdom (1 hour and 48 minutes) and Spain (1 hour and 53 minutes). Of course, differs from person to person.
However, while they are connected, people aren’t only exposed to good and interesting experiences, but also to negative aspects that can affect them. In fact, scientific studies have found that having social networks such as Facebook increases symptoms of depression in young people.
But why does this happen?
Experts have pointed out that social networks can promote different negative experiences. Some of these are as follows:
- Isolation
- Cyberbullying
- Fear of losing something
- Depression and anxiety
- Dissatisfaction with life
- Discontent with personal appearance
Another piece of research, which also sampled university students, revealed the possible causes of these negative affects of social networks. As detailed, the connection time and forms of communication are factors that intrinsically intervene in psycho-emotional well-being.
This is because young people are creating self-awareness based on external and internal experiences on these platforms. The paper emphasizes that these forms of communication aren’t going to change. Therefore, it’s imperative to find better ways to be immersed in them.
Prevention, health promotion, and psycho-emotional well-being are factors that should be at the center of the discussion. This being the case, and after understanding how social networks can affect people’s mental health, it’s more and more common and understandable to find that some celebrities quit social media.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Barrón- Colin M, Mejia-Alvarado CA. Redes sociales y salud mental: vivencias digitales de alumnos de
la FES-I UNAM. Cuidarte. 2021; 10(19): 00-00. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22201/fesi.23958979e.2021.10.19.78044 - Braghieri, Luca; Levy, Ro’ee; Makarin, Alexey (2022) : Social Media and Mental Health, CESifo Working Paper, No. 9723, Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo), Munich.
- Digital 2022 Global Overview Report. We Are Social – Hootsuite. 2022.
