Closing time! Wetherspoons deletes its Facebook and Twitter accounts

PUB chain Wetherspoons will get rid of all its social media accounts because people are spending too much time ‘glued to their phones’ and the sites are having a negative effect on society, its chairman says.

JD Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin, 62, launched a scathing attack on sites such as Facebook and Twitter, which he believes trivialise politics and are addictive for young people.

The chain will start deleting social media pages for all 900 of its pubs with immediate effect, Mr Martin said yesterday, adding: ‘Get off it, it’s bad for you’. Many believe the sites are a vital component of a successful business, but Mr Martin said: ‘I don’t believe that closing these accounts will affect our business whatsoever, and this is the overwhelming view of our pub managers.’

The entrepreneur, who founded the company in 1979, has never had a Facebook page.

He said: ‘What I think social media does in politics is that it trivialises the points and slightly assumes the electorate is a bit thick.

‘It is fair enough to sum up policy in a few tweets, I suppose, but actually I think the electorate is convinced by rational arguments that you would read from the Daily Mail, The Times, etc.’

Kirsty Young has hit out at the obsession with taking photos to post online, claiming it is ruining our memories.

The Desert Island Discs host said it was changing the way we processed our memories, meaning we can no longer rid ourselves of the unpleasant ones.