Social media is ‘terrible’ for young people, warns superstar Selena (with her 150m online followers)
SHE may be one of the most influential celebrities on social media, with 150million fans subscribing to her Instagram account.
But despite her global following, Selena Gomez has warned that web networks have become a ‘terrible’ thing for her generation and believes it’s ‘pretty impossible’ to make them safe for young people.
The US actress and pop star, 26, who was the world’s most-followed person on the picture-sharing site in 2017, admitted that the impact of social media on youngsters has become ‘dangerous’ and is now one of the major problems they face.
‘I would say, for my generation specifically, that social media has been terrible,’ she said. ‘It does scare me when you see how exposed these young boys and young girls are. They’re not really aware of the news or anything going on... it’s dangerous for sure,’ she added, while speaking at the Cannes Film Festival to promote her film The Dead Don’t Die. Her comments come amid a backlash against technology giants, with governments demanding the firms do more to protect young people. Grooming, cyberbullying and the promotion of eating disorders have become commonplace on the platforms, with parents feeling powerless over their children’s online lives. This year researchers at University College London published a study of more than 11,000 14-year-olds which found that almost 40 per cent of girls who spend more than five hours a day on social media showed signs of depression.
Miss Gomez, who has herself taken ‘breaks’ from social media after admitting to suffering from depression and panic attacks, warned that protecting young people was beyond hope. She said: ‘There is no blocking anything, you’re exposed to it immediately... [Social media] can be great in moments but I would just be careful and allow yourself some time limits of when you should use it.’
Miss Gomez is now the fourth mostfollowed on Instagram, trailing the firm’s own account (299million followers), footballer Cristiano Ronaldo (166million) and singer Ariana Grande (154million).