Selena Gomez says that getting off Instagram was one of the best things she's done for her mental health

Selena Gomez has long been dubbed the 'queen' of Instagram.

In 2019 she became the most followed woman on the platform, before being taken over by Ariana Grande and then Kylie Jenner.

However, she regained her place at the top in early 2023 when she surpassed 400 million followers, and has remained there ever since.

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Over the years though, she has been known to take breaks from the social media platform in order to better her mental health.

In a recent panel appearance at the 2024 Time 100 Summit, the Single Soon singer shared that taking a break from Instagram is the best thing she's ever done for herself.

"I took four years off of Instagram and I let my team post for me," she said.

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"I felt like it was the most rewarding gift I gave myself. I was more present. I was happier."

She explained that listening to her friends tell her about their days over the phone rather than seeing it through a post on social media made her feel more connected to them.

"It's more human," she said. "I think it's important to take breaks."

Gomez currently boasts a whopping 429 million followers on the platform, with only soccer players Christiano Ronaldo (563 million followers) and Lionel Messi (443 million followers) surpassing her.

The singer is known to be candid about her health, recently opening up about her struggles with bipolar disorder, anxiety and lupus on a panel at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.

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She shared that one of the hardest parts is that you can't force someone to get help, you have to let them get there on their own.

"It just doesn't work. There was a lot of people that cared about me more than I cared about myself that really wanted me to do things I wasn't ready for," Gomez explained.

"I had to hit my rock bottom and I had to do it at my time. I'd like to think and hope that I'm in a better place now."

If you or someone you know is in need of support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue. In the event of an emergency dial Triple Zero (000).

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