Country music star Jimmie Allen has had enough with social media, and now he’s putting his foot down. The mental health advocate took to Twitter late Tuesday (July 26) night to remind fans to check in on their loved ones and to stress that social media is a highlight reel.

While there are many perks of networking platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, society has experienced negative repercussions throughout the last decade. Since the global pandemic in 2020, individuals have been utilizing social media more than ever before.

According to a 2022 cross-national online survey, the United States found that the spike in social media usage coincides with the mental health crisis in today’s climate. Out of 1,500 Americans, 86 percent of ages 16 to 24 report that interactive applications harm their overall happiness.

“Check in on your friends. Social media is not a way to find out how people are doing,” Allen wrote on Twitter. “People are really struggling, it has just gotten easier to hide it,” he added.

Country music fans quickly agreed with the “Down Home” singer and thanked him for using his platform to push the significant subject matter.

“You are so right!! We need to check on our friends and family more often. Life is too short to just assume one is alright,” said a follower. “This is so true. It’s very easy to go into depression when you can’t get out much. You don’t really understand until it happens to you. TY,” added another.

The platinum-selling artist has never shied away from speaking out about his own mental health and his constant battle with bipolar disorder. During a previous CMT Twitter Space event, Allen mentioned that he faced several obstacles while working in the music industry.

“I am happy a lot of the time, but a lot of the time, I’m not. We all struggle. I feel like my first couple years in the business were focused on happy, positive, happy, positive – and that is still there,” Allen stressed regarding his upbeat music. “I recently wanted to show another side, because the best thing for me was when I realized that some of my favorite artists were bipolar [Charley Pride & Kanye West] that really made me feel like I was not out here by myself,” he added.

When Allen finds himself stuck in the mud, he told CMT that he seeks out reasons to smile. One strategy that helps Allen the most, is sharing positive quotes with others on social media to spread awareness and kindness.

“I wanted to establish myself as a musician and let my music be the first connecting part. I post positive quotes.” he declared. “Every time I pull something positive, every moment I post something positive… I’m struggling. It’s a reminder for other people and for me.”

Allen continued to point out the reality of social media and the horrific societal standards that many believe they need to live by.

“Perfect doesn’t exist,” the vocalist emphasized. “People say, ‘I want to do this, to be perfect.’ Well, you will be trying forever… it’s not going to happen. You can’t expect perfection from imperfect people. I feel like that’s what people want. Now, some people want real. They want to know that you’re a human too. To be able to talk about it normalizes the conversation and makes all of us feel less alone. When we wake up and have a hard day, the fact that we can call a friend makes a difference.”

The hitmaker made it a priority not to let the harsh side effects of social media or internet trolls get under his skin.

“Here’s my thing with social media, it doesn’t control me. I control it,” said Allen. “I share what I share, when I want to share it. That’s my business and nobody else’s…if they got a problem, that’s not mine. That’s how I look at it. I actually look for the negative comments, because it fires me up. I like having a chip on my shoulder. It gives me more ammunition to try to be more successful. That person doesn’t control my work ethic. That person doesn’t control how I treat my friends, how I treat my family.”

Allen’s recently released album “Tulip Drive” is available to stream now. Within the robust 17-song soundtrack – listeners hear Allen let down his guard, as he pulled from real-life experiences to cultivate the raw and family-centric collection.

Come Fall, the country crooner will be bringing his impressive catalog out on the road with Carrie Underwood on The Denim & Rhinestones Tour. Allen is currently on his first solo headline trek and will wrap up his run at the second annual Bettie James Fest in August. Tickets to the festival are on sale now, here.