Tom Holland criticizes press for taking news of his social media hiatus 'in the wrong direction'

Tom Holland takes issue with his mental health being sensationalized.

In the wake of his emotional turn as Danny Sullivan in The Crowded Room, Holland has been candid about mental health, sobriety, and his decision to step away from social media. During an appearance on the On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast, Holland addressed his frustration with how each of those life developments were reported on by the press.

The incident he found particularly upsetting came after he announced his break from social media. At the time, Holland says he was in New York, shooting the Apple TV+ thriller.

"I was having a really hard time with the job just because of how taxing it was, the emotional capacity that I was having to get to every day," Holland explained. "And I decided to delete my Instagram because I just felt like I was so addicted to this kind of false version of my life that it was just taking over."

Holland recalled that even when he was on set working, he would be scrolling through social media during his breaks. "It was becoming a problem," he said. "I was just obsessed with it. And I was obsessed to find out what people were saying."

This realization prompted the Marvel actor to step back from social media altogether.

"I decided to make an announcement, which unfortunately we have to do," Holland said. "I tried to position myself and say like, 'I'm taking a break from social media because I feel like my mental health will benefit from it.' And the thing that really upset me is the press ran with that and they tried to make out that I was having this mental breakdown. And what upset me was if I was having a mental breakdown, that's not for you to report on."

Holland said he was disappointed to find his decision being treated so negatively.

"They took the story in the wrong direction," he said. "They painted this negative light on mental health. Rather than saying, 'It's okay that he's doing it, so we should all feel okay to do it too,' they were saying, 'Oh look, he's not the perfect happy-go-lucky kid you think he is. He's having a nervous breakdown in New York.'"

He added, "I think that that was a really unfair line of journalism."

Holland had a similar response to press coverage of his year-long break from acting. Holland previously told EW that he'd originally planned to take a breather after starring in back-to-back blockbusters Uncharted and Spider-Man: No Way Home, but put the plan on hold after getting the call for The Crowded Room. After that particularly taxing shoot, he decided to take time for himself.

"It's only a break from acting because I'm an actor," Holland clarified later in his conversation with Shetty. "It's not the acting itself. I just have been so lucky that in my life I've been working so much. I just wanted to take a break. I just wanted to be in one place for a while. I wanted to be with my friends, be with my family, move into my house."

He explained that the break has been incredibly constructive, both in regards to his mental health and as a way of embracing adulthood.

"I've done so much of my growing up on the road," Holland said. "I needed to do a lot of growing up at home. Paying my water bill, paying my council tax, and sorting out my bins and all that sort of stuff that they don't teach you at school."

Holland continued, "I think there should be a lesson at school that's called 'Life,' which is like laundry, basic cooking. Like I didn't realize you had to pay for your water. I just thought that was a luxury of living in England. Yeah, the water comes out the sky and then it comes out your tap. I was so behind on my water bill. I didn't realize, I'm up to date now. Don't worry."

You can watch Tom Holland's full conversation with Jay Shetty below.

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