The Star Early Edition

‘I had a really dangerous relationsh­ip with social media’

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SELENA Gomez used to have a “really dangerous” relationsh­ip with social media.

The 29-year-old singer and actress previously took a break from Instagram for the sake of her mental health and has now said she developed a negative relationsh­ip with the it because it impacted her self-esteem.

She said: “At one point Instagram became my whole world, and it was really dangerous. In my early twentiess, I felt like I wasn’t pretty enough. There was a whole period in my life when I thought I needed make-up and never wanted to be seen without it.

“The older I got, the more I evolved and realised that I needed to take control of what I was feeling. I wanted to be able to look in the mirror and feel confident to be who I am.”

The Lose You to Love Me hitmaker no longer has access to the passwords for her social media accounts, and instead lets her team post updates on her behalf. And Selena thinks that’s “the best decision” she’s “ever made” for her mental health.

“I created a system where I still don’t have my passwords. And the unnecessar­y hate and comparison­s went away once I put my phone down. I’ll have moments where that weird feeling will come back, but now I have a much

better relationsh­ip with myself.”

The Only Murders in the Building actress also tackled her mental health by attending regular therapy sessions, and said she now feels “so confident” when she’s “taking care” of herself.

She told InStyle magazine: “I’m a big believer in therapy, and I always feel so confident when I’m taking care of myself. If I’m not in the best headspace and my friends invite me out, I won’t go. I’ve lost my sense of Fomo, which I’m proud of.”

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