Heartbreak High star Chloe Hayden says no one should have Instagram or TikTok

A Heartbreak High star has backed the government’s social media ban for under-16s, revealing her own ‘complicated relationship’ with platforms she believes damage young people’s mental health.

Heartbreak High actor Chloe Hayden will be fronting a new campaign for eBay Live. Picture: Richard Dobson

If Heartbreak High star Chloe Hayden had her way, social media wouldn’t be a thing at all.

Backing the ban for those aged under 16, the prominent actor, author and content creator concedes she has a “complicated relationship” with social media.

“The internet is a really scary and dangerous place,” Hayden told Confidential.

“I think that young people seeing edited versions of people and snapshots of someone’s one day, not their full reality, and these pretend non-realistic versions of what we should be, but is completely impossible for anyone to become is really dangerous.”

Hayden, 28, who plays Quinn on the hit Netflix TV show, is a strong advocate for mental health, diversity and inclusion.

She is conflicted in the sense that as a teen herself, social media was a way of connecting as she lived in.

Chloe Hayden plays Quinn on the Netflix show. Picture: Richard Dobson

Hayden says the internet is a scary place. Picture: Richard Dobson

“I know that when I was a teenager, a significant amount of my poor mental health came from what I saw on screens and thought I should be,” she said, fronting a campaign for eBay Live.

“And I don’t think it’s safe for young kids to have access to that. I see so many people saying that it’s up to the parents, but you know 16 is almost an adult, they’re still kids, but it’s almost an adult.

“Kids should have access to the internet in a way that is safe for them because the only friends I was able to make growing up was on the internet but I think the government needs to be doing significantly more. Banning them is a band-aid fix, I don’t think it is addressing the real cause of the problem.”

She added: “I think no one should have Instagram or TikTok. More and more media literacy is dying and critical thinking skills are dying and nuance is dying and it’s dying the more and more that people are on the internet. If you don’t need to have social media for your job, I think you shouldn’t have it. The internet is an awful place.”

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