Shorty star Jess ‘WHY I QUIT SOCIAL MEDIA’

The talented actor stopped scrolling and immediately felt the benefits

- As told to Elisabeth Easther

When I was five, my family moved to Brunei and my parents taught at Jerudong International School, which is the Sultan's brother's school. It was massive, from kindy to Year 13, and there was a cool blend of expats and local kids. The school was on the edge of a jungle, with big fences topped with barbed wire and guards with guns at the gate. The high security was largely for the children of the royals who went there, but also partly for the monkeys who would sometimes take over the playground and go through the bins, or wrestle a kid for their lunchbox.

As Kiwi kids, we didn't understand why we couldn't run around barefoot, but it was partly because of the snakes. The pythons were so huge, their heads would be in one end of the grass, their bodies right across the road and the tails still coming! We lost a rabbit to a snake once and another python lay on the slide at school.

We moved home to Whangārei when I was 11 because our parents wanted us to have more time with our grandparents. But there was an adjustment period and we got bullied for some things – like pointing with our thumbs and not knowing any swear words. We were also surprised kids could just leave the classroom when they felt like it because in Brunei, teachers got way more respect.

The Sultan was really into polo, and my first riding experience was in his huge complex of arenas and stables. Because I was horse-obsessed, Mum and Dad promised that when we moved home, I'd get a horse. As a result, riding became my sport and my parents were so supportive. At one point, we had five horses and a truck. I was really into show hunting and we'd compete most weekends, or go to Horse of the Year. I still played other sports, like cricket and soccer, but riding really suited my personality.