Natalie Bassingthwaighte calls for ban on social media filters

Former Neighbours star Natalie Bassingthwaighte, 46, has opened up about her fear of ageing and why she wants social media filters banned.

Former Neighbours star Natalie Bassingthwaighte once feared that getting older would mark the end of her career.

The 46-year-old actor and former singer admits the thought of ageing in a youth-obsessed culture has always been “scary” but she is learning to embrace it.

“I’ve changed a lot in the last few years,” she said.

“There’s been times where it’s been scary to think, ‘Oh my God will I be employed? How will I navigate this situation?’ And the older I’ve gotten, especially in the last 12-18 months, I like me.

“I like me as a person more than I’ve ever liked me before, I know who I am more. I think if there’s things that you want to get done then that’s a personal choice. If I can maintain looking as youthful as possible but still acknowledging who I am on the inside then that’s the most important thing to me.”

Former Neighbours actor Natalie Bassingthwaighte wants social media filters banned.

Bassingthwaighte has partnered with Dove for their Reverse Selfie campaign.

The Rogue Traders frontwoman hopes to instil the same positive body image in her two children Harper, 11, and Hendrix, seven, but said social media and photo editing apps make it challenging.

“We’ve all had things done before and I think we’ll all continue to do those things but we’re adults, we’re more grown up. It’s the younger kids that are trying to do all these things to their bodies which I think is problematic,” she said.

“It’s pretty confronting what’s going on nowadays with being able to distort their image at will. It’s a different world that we live in now, for me it’s important to start the conversation ... chats with our children about what different social media can do for our mental health.

“There can be positive things that come from social media, like they have fun, they dance and do things like that but there can also be negative self-talk based on what they’re looking at and what they’re able to access these days.”

Nat with her husband Cameron McGlinchey and their children Harper and Hendrix.

She is learning to embrace ageing. Picture: Supplied

Bassingthwaighte has partnered with personal care brand Dove for its Reverse Selfie campaign, to raise awareness about the impact of digital distortion among young people.

“I think if you can start removing freckles or distorting your body waist, anything like that it’s kind of making kids feel like they aren’t good enough as they are and looking at these unrealistic images does not help with self-image at all,” she said.

“It’s hard enough as an adult to come to terms with... you do a photo shoot and you look glamorous and then you see yourself in real pictures and you think ‘Oh my Gosh, I don’t look like that!’

“I’m an adult so I can process that but I think it’s much more challenging as a kid to kind of mentally make that adjustment.”

Psychologist Dr Phillipa Diedrich said filters and photo editing apps can be damaging.

“Most research in this area has focused on girls aged over the age of 13, as this is the age they are legally permitted to create social media accounts,” Dr Diedrich said.

“Girls from this age can be affected negatively by digital distortion, passive scrolling, and unrealistic beauty standards portrayed by social media influencers and celebrities. “Anecdotally, we also hear that girls much younger than 13 are using social media apps, so it is likely that these effects may be occurring earlier in life than we’ve currently studied.”