Gomez went on to admit that, even though she’s one of the most successful stars on Instagram, she has a complicated relationship with the social media platform.

“I have a complex relationship with Instagram, to say the least. It has given me a voice amid all the noise of people trying to narrate my life for me and allows me to say, ‘Hey, I’m going to post this, and this is going to take care of the 1,200 stories that people think are interesting but actually aren’t, and aren’t even true,’” the singer says. “So it empowers me in that way because it’s my words and my voice and my truth.”

A study carried out by the Royal Society for Public Health in 2017 detailed the negative impact the platform can have on young people’s mental health. By surveying 1,500 people aged 14-24, the poll analysed five platforms – Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and Snapchat – on health and wellbeing issues, including depression, body image and anxiety.

Although Instagram was shown to have a positive effect on self-expression and self-identity, Snapchat and Instagram were found to have the most detrimental impact on mental health overall. Something which Gomez is all too aware of as she rightly acknowledged that the platform can be a damaging influence on young people like her fans.

“It’s an incredible platform, but in a lot of ways it’s given young people, myself included, a false representation of what’s important. So, yeah, it’s a complex relationship. Probably one of my most difficult relationships.”

Images: Rex Features / Instagram

Selena Gomez on why she will struggle with her mental health for her entire life