Justin Bieber deletes Instagram account - CNET

Pop star Justin Bieber has deleted his Instagram account, following negative Idea from fans and a high-profile series of terse exchanges with ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez.

Bieber, who had nearly 80 million followers on the popular photo-sharing service, was recently embroiled in an online row over his Instagram account. Bieber had posted photos with 17-year-old Sofia Richie. But when fans reacted badly (reportedly posting snake emojis to express their dislike of Richie, according to Global News), the 22-year-old star posted the message: "I'm gonna make my Instagram private if you guys don't stop the hate this is getting out of hand."

Gomez reportedly chimed in, "If you can't handle the hate then stop posting pictures of your girlfriend". Bieber apparently decided to go one step further than make his account private and deleted it entirely. Visitors to his Instagram account are met with the message, "Sorry, this page isn't available."

Bieber's Twitter account remains active, although the star hasn't used the service to explain why he deleted his Instagram account. Social media sites are under increasing pressure to deal better with abusive messages, with Twitter admitting earlier this year that it hasn't done enough to curb online trolling.