Dua Lipa says social media a 'breeding ground for hate and anxiety'

Singer urges people to ‘share positivity and encourage kindness’

Dua Lipa has described social media as a "breeding ground for hate and anxiety" and urged people to be kinder to one another online.

In an interview with BBC Breakfast, the "One Kiss" singer explained how she tries to limit the amount she reads comments on social media apps, such as Twitter and Instagram.

"Some days I don't read into the comments," the 24-year-old told presenter Louise Minchin.

“Some days maybe I feel little bit more vulnerable and I dive in and I almost go looking for things I don't want to see.”

Lipa went on to explain that while she still enjoys using social media, she does so in bite sizes to avoid trolls negatively impacting her mental health.

“Social media can be such an amazing tool and it can be so fun to share things but at the same time it's almost a breeding ground for hate and anxiety,” Lipa said.

“People feel like they can say things because they're hiding behind a computer screen and for me it's important to use social media in bite sizes – as long as it makes me feel good, and the second it doesn't, I like to take some time away from it.”

The "New Rules" singer also called on social media users “to share positivity and encourage kindness”.

“I feel like that's something we should all do, we should encourage kindness and protect our fans and protect ourselves - just be nicer to one another,” she said.

“I feel like we'd all have a much better experience on social media if that was the case.

"You can't change everyone's mind on that and some people use it as a form of release, in whatever way that may be – sometimes at the expense of others. But it's baby steps. Hopefully we can try and make it a much safer experience for everyone."

This isn’t the first time that Lipa has shared her thoughts on the impact of social media.

Last month, the star called for better mental health care in the creative industries as part of a campaign launched by her management company, Tap Music.

“It’s painfully ironic that music has such power to make us happy but musicians themselves can often suffer disproportionately from mental health issues,” Lipa said.

“I have benefited so much from this industry but I see around me every day what others can suffer: the fear of failure, loneliness and the intense pressures of social media, which I think is especially the case for female artists.”

Lipa isn’t alone with her concerns regarding the impact social media can have on mental health, with other stars including Selena Gomez choosing to publicly express their concerns.

Earlier this year, the actor discuss the pitfalls of using social media during a press conference for her the zombie comedy The Dead Don’t’ Die at Cannes Film Festival.

“For my generation specifically, social media has been terrible,” the star, who has over 150m Instagram followers, said.

“I understand that it’s amazing to use as a platform but it does scare me when you see how exposed these young girls and boys are. I think it’s dangerous for sure."