Jenna Ortega, renowned for her role in Beetlejuice and the hit Netflix series Wednesday, has publicly addressed the troubling impact of social media and AI technology on her life. In a candid interview with The New York Times’ The Interview podcast, Ortega shared her unsettling experiences that led to her decision to quit Twitter.
Confronting the Dark Side of Social Media
Ortega, who began her acting career at just 9 years old, revealed that she was faced with disturbing, AI-generated explicit content using her likeness as a teenager. “I hate AI,” Ortega stated firmly. “AI could be used for incredible things. I think I saw something the other day where they were saying that artificial intelligence was able to detect breast cancer four years before it progressed. That’s beautiful. Let’s keep it to that.”
She continued, “Did I like being 14 and making a Twitter account because I was supposed to and seeing dirty edited content of me as a child? No. It’s terrifying. It’s corrupt. It’s wrong.” Ortega described the technology as “Pandora’s box,” acknowledging the pervasive issue and the challenges of dealing with its consequences.
Early Encounters with Inappropriate Content
The actress also shared that her exposure to inappropriate content began even before the AI-generated images. “One of the first — actually the first DM that I ever opened myself when I was 12 — was an unsolicited photo of a man’s genitals,” she recounted. “And that was just the beginning of what was to come.”
Decision to Leave Twitter
Ortega’s experiences led to her decision to deactivate her Twitter (now X) account about two or three years ago, following the immense success of Wednesday. “I used to have that Twitter account and I was told that, ‘Oh, you got to do it, you got to build your image,’” she said. “I ended up deleting it because of the influx after the show had come out, these absurd images and photos, and I already was in a confused state that I just deleted it.”
The decision to step away was driven by a need to protect her mental well-being. “It was disgusting, and it made me feel bad. It made me feel uncomfortable,” Ortega admitted. “One day I just woke up, and I thought, ‘Oh, I don’t need this anymore.’ So I dropped it.”
Ortega’s departure from social media underscores the ongoing conversation about the impact of digital platforms on young celebrities and the need for greater protections against the misuse of technology.
