Spider-Man 3 Star Zendaya Opens Up About Social Media Anxiety

01/31/2021 07:30 pm EST

Spider-Man 3 star Zedaya recently opened up about social media anxiety and how it factors into her usage. In an appearance on The HFPA in Conversation podcast, the actress tried to speak about how Instagram use was a key thing when she was younger. Like tons of fans out there, it can be pretty easy to become attached to your phone. The practice is so subtle that you don't even realize that you're doing it at first. But, as time goes on, your screen time climbs higher and higher. In an effort to curb that behavior, Zendaya decided to cut back. There's been some research on how that feedback loop of beauty standards and other users' personal highlight reels can do a number on self-esteem. Whatever choice she makes, the Spider-Man star isn't prescribing anything for anyone else. Instead, she's admitting that stepping back worked for her.

"I was far more active [on Instagram] when I was younger, but over time I think I just – it's not that I hate it or anything – but I would find sometimes that being on it would kind of make me anxious," Zendaya explained. "Or, I would start to overthink a little too much or be on my phone too much… My relationship with all of it is my own and it is personal to me, but it is also something that I like to keep a little space with too."

She continued, "I think my fans who have known me and who I feel really understand me respect that because they understand that I am a human being and I think they want me to have a life and want me to be happy and exist beyond social media… I'm always there. They know that I'm there. They know that it's really me, but it is an important thing for me to have my own time and not be so sucked into a phone."

In another recent appearance on E!, she also referred to those same fans who saw her age into her current status from her time on Disney Channel.

"Because I've played a 16-year-old since I was 16," she told Victor Cruz. "You have to remember that people grew up with me as a child. So, I guess it's like watching your younger sibling, and now they're grown. And, you're not ready for it. So, it's hard for people to wrap around [the idea] that I'm grown in real life. Even though I do play a teenager on television still."

How do you feel about social media and its effects on anxiety? Let us know in the comments!

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