The 900-strong UK and Ireland-based group has made the move with immediate effect, saying it has been particularly concerned with the “trolling” of MPs and people from religious or ethnic minorities.
Wetherspoon says that other reasons for the move include the “addictive nature” of social media, as well as concerns surrounding the misuse of personal data.
“We are going against conventional wisdom that these platforms are a vital component of a successful business,” says the group’s chairman, Tim Martin.
“I don’t believe that closing these accounts will affect our business whatsoever, and this is the overwhelming view of our pub managers. It’s becoming increasingly obvious that people spend too much time on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and struggle to control the compulsion.”
The company will continue to maintain its website, its app, and its Wetherspoon News magazine.
Last week, London kebab restaurant Mangal 2 announced that it too would be closing down its Twitter page. The account garnered the restaurant a lot of attention for its funny tweets.
The announcement was met with hundreds of replies from the likes of Magpie and Pidgin co-owner James Ramsden, who said the news was “worse than Brexit”; meat and fish supplier Marky Market who said “I’ll miss you, you got Twitter”; and food writer Daisy Meager, who said it was “truly a loss”.