Vernon Kay has spoken about how he has stepped away from social media as he talked about the negative impact it can have on mental health. After hearing from a caller who was advertising a beer festival, Vernon discussed how wholesome it was to hear about things happening in communities in the UK. This led to him reflecting on the impact of social media and the habit many people fall into of doomscrolling, the act of spending a lot of time reading large of quantities of negative news. It was during this conversation that he talked about his own decision to step back from social media on his BBC Radio 2 show. He said: 鈥淲e end up doomscrolling on social media and it鈥檚 all negative, it鈥檚 all really bad, it鈥檚 awful on social, I鈥檝e stepped away, personally. I have it鈥檚 just grim, it really is. It brings you down, it creates anxiety .鈥 Vernon isn鈥檛 the only celebrity or individual to step back from social media in recent years with researchers increasing their understanding of the impact of the platforms on the nation鈥檚 mental health. At the end of last year, University College London published a study that suggested that regularly posting on social media could worsen the mental health of adults. Publishing their study in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, they found that frequent posting on these platforms was associated with an increased number of mental health issues a year later. Commenting on the study, Dr Ruth Plackett said viewing as well as posting could contribute to negative mental health in adults. She said: 鈥淭hese findings suggest that 鈥榓ctive鈥 social media use activities, particularly posting, may have a more significant impact on mental health than 鈥榩assive鈥 use, such as viewing content. 鈥淭his may be because posting on social media can lead to negative interactions or cause anxiety about others鈥 judgments. This highlights the need for awareness about how different social media activities can affect mental wellbeing.鈥 Dr Plackett also said that further research was required into the impact of social media on adults, admitting they were still uncertain over who was most affected. She added: 鈥淓vidence shows that social media use can have both positive and negative effects on our mental health, and more research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying these patterns to inform targeted interventions and policies. 鈥淲e are still uncertain about who is most negatively affected by social media and why, as well as who benefits from its use.鈥 For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org , visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.