Idris Elba is trying to quit social media, because it makes him "depressed".

Idris Elba

Idris Elba

The 47-year-old actor has said he's doing what he can to "wean" himself off of apps like Twitter, because although he wants to keep up to date with what's happening in the world, being "constantly" connected is impacting his mental health.

He explained: "I've been trying to wean myself off. I used to post a lot more, but it's been putting me off lately. And Twitter's just not how I want to receive my news.

"I read the news aggregated on my iPad, but I can't check it constantly - I'm not proud of it, but it's true - because it makes me feel depressed."

And the 'Cats' actor doesn't even like to go on social media when he has a spare five minutes, as he'd much rather avoid technology all together.

Speaking to Fast Company, he said: "I'll just sit in the dark, stare, and try not to do anything - just clear my mind and decompress.

"When I get in bed at 9 or 10, I feel great the next day. But it really depends. I typically get four to five hours of sleep a night."

Idris' comments come after he previously revealed he is "sad" about the advancement of technology, because he thinks it is more important to build real "emotions" between humans, rather than relying on machines.

The 'Hobbs & Shaw' star said: "A part of me is sad about this ever-increasing technological development. We people have emotions, unlike computers or artificial intelligence, we can adapt."

But Idris accepts technological advancements are "another step on the way to evolution", and says he's fascinated by techniques which allow users to move things with their brain waves.

He added: "There are even techniques with which you can use brain waves to move things. But perhaps it is only another step on the way to evolution."


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