Actress and singer Selena Gomez voiced her worry about the ramifications of social media on young people at a recent film festival.
During an interview at the Cannes Film Festival, Gomez expressed how much social media has impacted her generation, and how people should learn to limit their use of it.
“Our world is going through a lot, obviously. But I would say for my generation specifically,” Gomez said, “social media has really been terrible for my generation.”
“I understand that it’s amazing to use your platform, but it really does scare me to see how exposed that these young girls and these young boys are, and they’re not really aware of the news or anything going on,” she added.
“It’s a very, it’s just, I don’t wanna say selfish, because that seems rude,” Gomez concluded, “but it is a, I think, it’s dangerous for sure.”
Expressing disdain for social media is not new for the twenty-six-year-old. Gomez has been notorious for taking long social media breaks from Instagram, giving her time away from the subconsciously-controlling application.
In 2017 she explained how when she became the most followed person on Instagram, she became “freaked out.”
“As soon as I became the most followed person on Instagram,” she explained, “I sort of freaked out. It had become so consuming to me. It’s what I woke up to and went to sleep to.”
“I was an addict, and it felt like I was seeing things I didn’t want to see, like it was putting things in my head that I didn’t want to care about,” she added.
Gomez who has 150 million Instagram followers, was surpassed by the footballer Cristiano Ronaldo last year, who now has 166m followers, and Ariana Grande, who has 155 million.
Gomez shared a shot from the festival to her Instagram, writing “My first time in Cannes! I’m so honored to have been a part of this movie with Jim and the whole cast.”
“By the way Bill Murray and I are getting married,” she quipped.