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May 17 (UPI) -- JoJo Siwa says disabling Instagram comments helps protect her young fans, many of whom are under the age of 13. The 15-year-old dancer and YouTube personality discussed her decision to turn off her public Instagram comments during Friday's episode of Today.
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"I was like, 'You know what? With the click of the button I can just eliminate one little annoyance. Might as well do it,'" she told host Natalie Morales.
Siwa disabled her Instagram comments this month after receiving hateful remarks online. She isn't concerned with the decision creating a disconnect with her followers.
"I actually think it's, in a way, better for my fans if my comments are off," the star said.
"I have a fan base that ranges in age from four to 13," she explained. "Those kids are so young and people on Instagram comments use such bad language. I don't want the five-year-olds on their mom's phone looking at those."
Siwa, who turns 16 years old Sunday, acknowledged she's always played younger for her fanbase.
"I see people who are my age and who are acting a lot older, who are trying to be someone or something that they're not. And it's just so sad to me, because I just don't understand why when you're 15 you're trying to be 22," she said.
Siwa said in an Instagram post May 4 she was turning off public comments after reading some particularly hateful remarks.
"Normally I read comments and see nice things, people sending kind messages and saying positive words, late last night I decided to read some comments on my last Instagram post and wow... some people can be mean. So here's a fun game, No more comments!" she wrote.
Siwa came to fame on the Lifetime series Dance Moms. She has since launched her own YouTube channel, where she has over 9.6 million subscribers.
