Current:Home > StocksSelena Gomez takes social media hiatus as Israel-Hamas war intensifies: 'My heart breaks' -LegacyBuild Academy
Selena Gomez takes social media hiatus as Israel-Hamas war intensifies: 'My heart breaks'
View
Date:2025-04-14 10:27:34
Selena Gomez has stepped away from social media as the Israel-Hamas war intensifies in the Gaza Strip.
"I've been taking a break from social media because my heart breaks to see all of the horror, hate, violence and terror that's going on in the world. People being tortured and killed or any act of hate towards any one group is horrific. We need to protect ALL people, especially children and stop the violence for good," Gomez wrote in her Instagram Story on Monday.
"I'm sorry if my words will never be enough for everyone or a hashtag. I just can't stand by innocent people getting hurt," she continued. "That's what makes me sick. I wish I could change the world. But a post won't. Love, Selena."
Her statement comes amid Instagram users posting comments under her recent posts urging her to speak out about the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza as a water supply "catastrophe" looms, per the United Nations Children's Fund, and the Israeli military expands its incursion into the Gaza Strip.
On TikTok and Instagram, Gomez has not posted anything to her grid since early October. The most-followed woman on Instagram, the "Only Murders in the Building" star often takes social media breaks – including earlier this year – for mental health reasons.
Selena Gomez is 'tragically sick' over 'innocent lives' lost
In a following Instagram Story post, Gomez shared how having a 10-year-old sister, Gracie Teefey, impacts how she handles news of the civilian impact of the war.
"Having a sister, everyday has made me tragically sick," she wrote. "I would do anything for children and innocent lives."
More than 3,450 children have reportedly been killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war, UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder said in a press briefing Tuesday in Geneva, Switzerland.
"Gaza has become a graveyard for thousands of children. It’s a living hell for everyone else," Elder said. As he called for an "immediate humanitarian ceasefire," Elder added that dehydration and psychological trauma are growing threats to more than 1 million children in Gaza.
'Barbaric acts of terrorism':Gal Gadot, Jamie Lee Curtis among 700 entertainers denouncing Hamas' terrorism
To post or not to post on social media
Experts warn that you should seek greater context before sharing anything on social media. It's perfectly acceptable – and even preferred – for you to abstain from posting if you don't know enough about what you're talking about.
Social media infographics, of course, can be helpful resources in educating those who are uninformed. It's when people don't go beyond theses sources that trouble looms. Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, says: "There are positive, important things that we can do with postings on social media. But the boundaries are not clear. And the abuses are quite evident."
So if social media infographic posting and reposting isn't the right answer, what is?
"My advice to people is always to read a broad spectrum of media outlets, including media from the region, and to understand what it is that they’re reading," says Sarah Parkinson, assistant professor of political science and international studies at Johns Hopkins University.
"Search the outlet, read a Wikipedia page on it; don’t just go to one news source to understand any situation," Parkinson adds. "Verify that what you're reading a credible outlet or source. Seek out local voices and establish who they are."
'We need to see the nuances':Israel, Gaza and when your social media posts hurt more than help
Contributing: David Oliver, USA TODAY
veryGood! (2)
Related
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Love Is Blind's Paul Peden Reveals New Romance After Micah Lussier Breakup
- Solar Job Growth Hits Record High, Shows Economic Power of Clean Energy, Group Says
- Disappearance of Alabama college grad tied to man who killed parents as a boy
- Person accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
- Orlando Bloom's Shirtless Style Leaves Katy Perry Walking on Air
- Succession's Sarah Snook Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby With Husband Dave Lawson
- 7 States Urge Pipeline Regulators to Pay Attention to Climate Change
- Woman dies after Singapore family of 3 gets into accident in Taiwan
- ‘We Need to Hear These Poor Trees Scream’: Unchecked Global Warming Means Big Trouble for Forests
Ranking
- North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
- World Bank Favors Fossil Fuel Projects in Developing Countries, Report Says
- 3 dead, 5 wounded in Kansas City, Missouri, shooting
- Lisa Rinna Reveals Horrible Death Threats Led to Her Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Exit
- Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
- A Bipartisan Climate Policy? It Could Happen Under a Biden Administration, Washington Veterans Say
- The Surprising List of States Leading U.S. on Renewable Energy
- Hundreds of Clean Energy Bills Have Been Introduced in States Nationwide This Year
Recommendation
Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
Solar Power Taking Hold in Nigeria, One Mobile Phone at a Time
3 dead, 5 wounded in Kansas City, Missouri, shooting
Mayan Lopez Shares the Items She Can't Live Without, From Dreamy Body Creams to Reusable Grocery Bags
Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
Ohio House Passes Bill to Roll Back Renewable Energy Standards, Again
Water Use in Fracking Soars — Exceeding Rise in Fossil Fuels Produced, Study Says
More Renewable Energy for Less: Capacity Grew in 2016 as Costs Fell