Star’s war on social media...Daisy says it’s a danger to mental health of teens
STARWars actress Daisy Ridley has condemned social media as dangerous for the mental health of teenagers.
The Rise Of Skywalker star quit Instagram and Facebook after she suffered a public backlash when she shared an anti-gun violence post on Instagram in 2016.
Since then she says she has become convinced that the “distorting” and “confusing” effects of social media are fuelling growing anxiety among young people.
“I’m done with social media,” she says. “The more I read about the anxiety that it causes teenagers, the more I am convinced that social media is dangerous for one’s mental health,” she explains in an interview with Psychologies magazine.
“I don’t like the way it makes you see reality through distorted images and enjoy immediate gratification from one’s posts – it causes too much confusion.”
The 27-year-old – who plays heroine Rey in the latest instalment of the blockbuster – also questions fans’ need to have selfies taken with her.
“The mania for photographing everything and everyone seems strange to me. I would rather talk to someone as opposed to appearing with them in a selfie.
“I don’t really understand this thirst to show that you have interacted with someone although, in general, people have been kind to me and have the best of intentions.”
Ridley, who grew up in London and attended Tring Park School for the Performing Arts in Hertfordshire, adds: “Avoiding social media is a way of protecting myself. I’m just not equipped for it. I’m sensitive – not too sensitive – but I really feel things.”