Demi Lovato opened up about how her ‘relationship with social media has evolved over the years.’
The Confident hitmaker, 31, revealed that she has gone from seeking validation online ‘to not looking at internet comments at all.’
‘If I happen to see something negative, it doesn’t affect me the way that it used to,’ she told People. ‘And I don’t know if that’s just with age or how many years I’ve been in the public eye, I just don’t let it sit with me the way that it used to.’
While reflecting on her growth, the Camp Rock actress said social media doesn’t ‘hold power over’ her like ‘it used to.’
Demi Lovato opened up about how her ‘relationship with social media has evolved over the years’ (seen in February 2024)
Overall, she reflected on how it feels ‘really refreshing’ and ‘freeing’ not to care ‘what other people have to say about’ her.
Additionally, she refrains from ‘deep dives’ in her comment sections to avoid negativity.
Over the years, she’s also grown to have ‘compassion’ for those that criticize her from behind a screen.
Later in the interview, Lovato also reflected on what advice would tell give her younger self.
‘What I would tell my teenage self is I would say don’t hold yourself to anybody else’s standards but your own,’ she told readers. ‘And if your own becomes too critical, then look within yourself and try to find that self-love.’
The Grammy nominee continued: ‘I think that’s really important to find self-love no matter what age you are.’
Demi began her career at age 10 with a role in Barney & Friends, and went on to become a Disney Channel fixture with her show Sonny With a Chance and the Camp Rock franchise.
The star has been open about her mental health and addiction, as well as her eating disorder.
The Confident hitmaker, 31, revealed that she has ‘evolved’ from seeking validation online ‘to not looking at internet comments at all’
‘If I happen to see something negative, it doesn’t affect me the way that it used to,’ she told People (pictured in March 2024)
Demi also survived a near-fatal overdose in July 2018.
Demi’s near fatal overdose led to long-term complications, including partial vision loss and partial hearing loss.
She took OxyContin that she believes was laced with fentanyl, leading to her overdose.
Demi had three strokes and a heart attack while in the hospital.
‘I was left with brain damage, and I still deal with the effects of that today. I don’t drive a car, because I have blind spots on my vision,’ she said in 2021 at a panel for her Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil documentary, via People.
‘And I also for a long time had a really hard time reading. It was a big deal when I was able to read out of a book, which was like two months later because my vision was so blurry,’ she added.
Elsewhere in the interview, she also reflected on what advice would tell give her teenage self while battling an eating disorder and distorted body image (seen in 2008)
The former child star has previously spoken out about her eating disorder and distorted body image perception as well as treatment she underwent.
‘The very first time I went to treatment was when I was 18. I went for my eating disorder, and I went for self-harm and emotional issues. And when I came out with that experience, I was faced with the decision of either ‘keep your mouth shut and not say anything’ or share your experience strength in hopes that it will affect them in a positive way,’ Demi said on NBC News NOW’s Savannah Sellers.
Adding: ‘I wish that I had somebody when I was 13 years old and having an eating disorder and starving myself. I wanted somebody in the public eye to say that “Hey, this is what I’ve gone through, and you don’t have to choose that route.’
Demi noted that when she was a teen, young Hollywood was ‘very, very, very thin’ which negatively impacted her eating and her mental health.
