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Following negative criticisms aimed at Black Mirror's choose-your-own adventure film Bandersnatch, Will Poulter has announced that he's temporarily leaving Twitter. Despite the positive responses aimed at Netflix's experimental film, Poulter has opted to take a break from any further reactions aimed at the film for the sake of his own mental health.

In Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, a video game programmer named Stefan (Fionn Whitehead) is in the process of developing a brand new game based on a choose-your-own adventure novel in 1984. However, the deeper he delves into his creative process, the more unhinged from reality he becomes. Based within the sci-fi anthology series Black Mirror, Bandersnatch is an interactive film on Netflix that allows viewers to make decisions for characters by personally selecting various options and paths for them, thus leading to a number of different endings. The film also stars Alice Lowe, Asim Chaudhry, Craig Parkinson, and Will Poulter, a renown game creator named Colin Ritman who is somehow imbued with unlimited knowledge regarding the strange world in which Stefan is in the process of discovering. Now, shortly after the film's release, Poulter is leaving Twitter following negative criticisms aimed at Bandersnatch. 

Related: How To Get The BEST Ending In Black Mirror: Bandersnatch

Poulter posted a statement on his personal Twitter account detailing the reason he's decided to temporarily leave the site. Despite the fact that he not only accepts all types of criticisms aimed at the film - as well as the fact that he is "genuinely so grateful" - he has opted to step away for a while. Pointing out that "there is a balance to be struck in our engagements with social media," he revealed that he has struggled with that balance, adding, "In the interest of my mental health I feel the time has come to change my relationship with social media." He ended his note with a nod to his character in Bandersnatch, saying, "This is not the end. Consider it an alternative path."

Despite leaving Twitter, Poulter added that he "will still be posting occasionally for and with @AntiBullyingPro @leap_cc @MayMeasure and bptcompany among others." His decision to leave Twitter on account of negative criticisms is especially appropriate given his affiliation with Anti-Bullying Pro, which is an anti-bullying campaign courtesy of the charity organization The Diana Award, and Leap Confronting Conflict, which is a youth charity organization focused on "providing inspirational conflict management training and support." 

As much as Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is a fun, inventive exploration into interactive sci-fi entertainment, its focal point is mental health. Whether that's referring to Stefan's inability to accept his mother's death and his subsequent emotional decline or Colin's inability to accept reality as it is (assuming the science fiction in Bandersnatch isn't science fiction at all, but an abstract interpretation of mental collapse), it's no secret that mental health is the crux of the story. And, though it's unfortunate to see Poulter put in such a position, it's encouraging to have someone of his caliber address a topic as serious as mental health in such a proactive way.

More: Black Mirror Creator Promises Season 5 Will Have More Optimistic Episodes

Source: Will Poulter