Child Safety ON!
Fighting for a digital world where children are safe to learn, play and thrive.
We worked with the Oak Foundation to create Child Safety ON, a collaborative European campaign to achieve a safe online environment for children.
Key Outcomes
500,000 signatures collected in favor of EU CSAM regulation
15 partners engaged to co-create a campaign
National TV coverage on top-3 channels
Challenge
Big Tech collects 72,000 data points on children by the time they’re 13. So in 2022, the European Commission proposed groundbreaking legislation to combat the spread of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) online. However, the complex and sensitive nature of the issue posed challenges in building widespread public support and political will for the regulation. A coordinated effort was needed to counter misinformation and demonstrate the urgent need for action to protect children.
Strategy
We developed an advocacy strategy to build political cover and mobilize decision-makers in the European Parliament to support the EU CSAM proposal. The process of messaging co-creation was just as critical as the messages themselves as it forced partners to align on a clear position. We then launched and tested multiple campaigns to discover what was working, and through co-creation we developed a unified narrative, core messages and research to help us adapt campaign content in real time. Our research led to the insight of how normalized online CSAM had become in EU countries.
Creative
We created a campaign concept that brought to life the need to protect children from the dark side of the internet, with an emotive animated film as a centerpiece. The brand for the campaign took visual cues from the tech space, and our partners adopted a suite of assets including placards, OOH and digital content. A slick website made it easy for supporters to sign the petition. “Not My Normal” our activation, was inspired by the insight that 6 in 10 young people have experienced CSAM. We designed a fake shop front that showed how widespread the issue is — and led to a media frenzy.
Campaign
Child Safety ON! brought together over 50 civil society organizations across Europe to advocate for the swift passage of EU CSAM legislation. Through pilot campaigns, we engaged civil society and data regulators on the need for their support of an EU-wide children’s data code. This included working with two child protection organizations in Finland and activating a Slovenian data regulator to work with local partners, including a convening of civil society organizations and young people.
Impact
By leveraging the voices of activists, survivors and celebrities through open letters, petitions, stunts and a powerful film, we generated substantial visibility and public support, including several politicians making public statements. The campaign collected over 500,000 signatures and was covered in 53 publications with over 43.5M cumulative reach. 732 members of the public took part by submitting their lived experiences. And partners translated our toolkit into countless social media assets, press releases and letters to MEPs.
“We have a much better understanding on who is doing what and where our strengths are, but also a much greater sense of ownership of the messages and products we are developing.”
Partner organizations in the Child Safety ON! coalition
“We've strengthened our messages and brought home the importance of children's organizations presenting a united front.”
Partner organizations in the Child Safety ON! coalition
“It has been very useful to have a lead organization, which is separate to each of us with our own objectives and audiences, to take control and organize us as a sector.”
Partner organizations in the Child Safety ON! coalition
