Ed Sheeran quits social media – for now

Singer breaks news on Instagram at end of world tour, saying he is taking a sabbatical from 'seeing the world through a screen'

With 16 million Twitter followers and 5.5 million subscribers on Instagram, he is one of the most avidly monitored British celebrities on social media. But Ed Sheeran has decided to shun "seeing the world through a screen", and announced that he is quitting all social media until next autumn at least.

The singer broke the news on Instagram, but apparently will not be in a position to read the tens of thousands of comments: he claims that he is even giving up his phone. Sheeran announced his withdrawal from social media at the end of a world tour promoting his second album, X, saying that although he was travelling the world, he wasn't actually seeing it.