In an Instagram video, actor Tom Holland discussed the negative effect social media has on his mental health and revealed that he will be taking a sabbatical from the platform.The 26-year-old Spider-Man: No Way Home star stated in a video broadcast to Instagram on Sunday, “I have taken a sabbatical from social media for my mental health because I find Instagram and Twitter to be overstimulating, to be overwhelming
.” As the author puts it, “I get caught up and I spiral while reading stuff about me online, and eventually it’s highly destructive to my mental health, so I decided to take a step back and uninstall the app.”Meanwhile, Holland used the film to promote Stem4, an organisation that works to improve young people’s mental health through events, apps, and more. Holland claimed to have tried all four of the team’s apps and found a significant improvement with each.
As he says in the video, “there is an awful stigma towards mental health,” and “I know that asking for help and seeking help isn’t anything that we should be embarrassed of,” but it’s easier said than done. In the comments area, Holland received encouragement from fans and famous people like Justin Bieber, who wrote, “Love you guy.”
There has been a recent uptick in the number of young famous people speaking out about their own experiences with mental illness. Shawn Mendes cancelled his tour a few weeks ago, citing the need to focus on his mental health as the reason. Mendes posted on Instagram on July 8: “I’ve been travelling since I was 15, and to be honest, it’s always been difficult to be on the road away from friends and family.”
Bipolar Selena Gomez said in April on Good Morning America that she hasn’t used the internet in four and a half years because of her illness.”It has made a radical difference in my life,” she declared. I feel better now. I’m able to be in the here and now more often. In general, I feel closer to others. I now feel like myself again.
Members of Generation Z are more likely to report having poor or fair mental health than those of any previous generation, according to a study published in 2019 by the American Psychological Association. They cite the stress of mass shootings and the 24-hour news cycle as contributing factors. Also, compared to Generation X and the Boomer generation, they are more inclined to seek help.
Camila Cabello, too, has been transparent about her struggles with mental health. In an essay for the Wall Street Journal published in 2020, Cabello discussed the challenges of living with obsessive-compulsive disorder while keeping it a secret from others around her.
She urged anybody else experiencing mental health problems to seek help and talk about it.She argued that social media can lead people to believe that they need to strive to achieve perfection because “everyone else seems to be.” Taking responsibility for our pain and making positive changes is empowering, rather than a sign of weakness.
