USING SELFIES FOR SAFETY
Tackling the perilous depths of youth is no mean feat; with social media more diverse than ever and new words like 'selfie' pervading long-established dictionary traditions, it's difficult being young. Yet for global child-conscious charity, NSPCC, navigating the frenzy of the digital landscape is crucial to understanding the issues young people face.
A new campaign entitled #ListenToYourSelfie points out signs of abuse in young peoples selfies. Two videos entitled 'The Party' and 'The Game', follow young teenagers through dangerous scenarios where decision making is crucial. Themes of sexual abuse, peer pressure, and online grooming form the crux of the campaign. Through the means of selfies, viewers are left with a perception of the prevalent dangers in teenage life.
Funded by BBC Children in Need and aiming to raise awareness of such dangers, London-based creative agency, Don't Panic, created the videos with the generation Z social contextualisation of child abuse as a central theme.
Joe Wade, managing director and co-founder of Don't Panic, says, "It was crucial we created a situation that felt real, not something that felt like an afterschool education film from the early 90s. That’s why we improvised a lot of it, thanks to our fantastically talented cast, to really capture that genuine awkwardness and confusion we all remember going through.”
With the internet forming both the cure and the cause, Esther Rantzen, Childline founder, says, "It can be very hard for young people to identify that they are being manipulated or exploited, or to recognise that something is not right. We want children and young people to know that Childline is there for them, whatever their worry, to answer any questions and offer support and advice.”