The singer told The Wall Street Journal she has remained on the platform while she has been releasing music, but plans to remove it from her phone following the release of her new album.
“I took a break off Insta for a year, maybe a year and a half. I’d rather stay away from anything that’s going to make me feel like s***,” she said.
“I got back on [Instagram] because I was releasing music, but I just told my best friend Courtney [Lopez] yesterday, I’m going to have to take it off my phone again soon. They know I have an addictive personality, and it can be unhealthy.”
The star also opened up about her struggles with mental health, and how her life has changed since she learned more about how to cope with mental illness.
“I had low self-esteem, and that’s something I work on continuously,” she said. “But I feel so empowered because I’ve gained so much knowledge about what was going on mentally.
“My highs were really high, and my lows would take me out for weeks at a time. I found out I do suffer from mental health issues. And, honestly, that was such a relief.
“I realised that there was a way to get help and to find people that you trust. I got on the right medication, and my life has been completely changed.”
Gomez has taken time away from the spotlight and gone off the grid to address mental and physical health issues several times over the past few years.
She has been to rehab and hospital on multiple occasions, seeking treatment in relation to her lupus diagnosis and to focus on mental wellness.
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Her decision to step away from Instagram for the benefit of her health is in line with evidence to suggest the social media platform can negatively impact mental wellbeing.
In a 2017 survey by the UK’s Royal Society for Public Health, Instagram was ranked worst of the social platforms for young people’s mental health.
It was associated with high levels of anxiety, depression, bullying and FOMO (fear of missing out).
Several studies have also shown the use of social media can put the user at risk of bullying, and affect sleep and exercise patterns.
In an attempt to improve the mental health of users, Instagram has started phasing out showing the number of “likes” on posts.
