Natalie Bassingthwaighte, the former star of Neighbours, has asked for a statewide ban on social media filters to protect her children.
Natalie Bassingthwaighte, the former star of Neighbours, has called for a ban on social media filters in Australia to protect children.
The 46-year-old Rouge Traders frontwoman is no stranger to fame and the accompanying body image concerns.
But the mother of two wants to protect her children, claiming the ability to “distort” your image on social media was “pretty confronting”.
Bassingthwaighte is advocating for more public understanding of the usage of filters, which may be used to manipulate photographs on social media applications like TikTok and starting position Instagram.
She worries that the trend was harmful to children’s self-esteem.
“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 told PerthNow.
“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.”
Harper, 11, and Hendrix, seven, are Bassingthwaighte’s children with spouse Cameron McGlinchey.
After explaining the negative effects of social media photos on mental health, she has given her eldest permission to create a private social media account.
She believes that we live in a different world now, and that parents should have a talk with their children about the negative affects that social media apps can have on their body image.
“For me, it’s important to start the conversation … chats with our children about what different social media can do for our mental health,” she said.
The actress is a part of Dove’s ‘Reverse Selfie’ campaign, which aims to raise awareness about the negative effects of editing on social media.
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