Chris Evans Deactivates His Twitter and Instagram to Get a ‘Little Break’ from Screen Time for the Summer

Chris Evans is taking a social media break just before the Fourth of July holiday weekend. 

The Captain America: Civil War star, 42, deactivated both his Instagram and Twitter accounts Thursday. Before doing so, he shared a message with fans on his Instagram Story, explaining that he feels his "ability to sit and be present and read books and watch movies and even seek out the company of people I love is eroding" because of his screen time.

"I'm going to take a break from social media for a while," Evans wrote, according to screenshots fans shared on social media. "I'm not sure why I'm making a big declaration about it; I just think it's hard to break away from a cycle that I've grown to find a bit addictive and this is me making a commitment to myself."

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The Ghosted actor went on to write that he believes using Instagram was "one of several impediments" to getting him to the place in his career he hopes to be.

"Thanks everyone for saying such nice things all the time," Evans wrote to fans. "I so appreciate it but I just need to read the thoughts of strangers for a while; I'm really not sure this stuff is very good for any of us."

Evans was more concise with his final tweet. "Hey everyone, I'm treating myself to a summer with less screen time so I'm taking a little break from Twitter and IG," he wrote before leaving Twitter. "See you soon! Much love!"

Before Evans began his social media sabbatical, the Knives Out star frequently gushed about his relationship with his girlfriend, actress Alba Baptista. In January, he shared a video compilation with fans that showed how the couple spent 2022 together. The brief video showed the couple surprising each other. In the last clip, Baptista, 25, appeared accustomed to Evans' jokes. "I knew it," she said as Evans tried to scare her.

The current PEOPLE Sexiest Man Alive also shared photos with Baptista to mark Valentine's Day in February. A source previously told PEOPLE in November 2022 that the two had been dating "for over a year and it's serious."

Evans also used Instagram to share adorable photos of Dodger, a boxer mix he rescued in 2017 after they met while Evans filmed Gifted. "What a lucky thing," Evans told fans of rescuing the dog. "Because you don't know what you're going to get. Anyone who is a dog owner knows it's a bit of a gamble. I hit the lottery."

Evans recently starred in the Apple TV+ movie Ghosted, which reunited him with his Knives Out and The Gray Man co-star, Ana de Armas. His next movie, Pain Hustlers with Emily Blunt, will be released on Netflix on Oct. 27. He also stars in Amazon Prime Video's upcoming Christmas movie Red One with Dwayne Johnson.