Virgin Media Launches “Find The Right Words” Campaign

Virgin Media O2 and Internet Matters are launching a new campaign to help parents and guardians talk to kids about staying safe online. The “Find the Right Words” campaign is starting just in time for the summer holidays when kids are online more often. This campaign aims to help parents and carers have tough conversations about internet safety and learn about online threats themselves.

At the heart of this campaign is a powerful film that shows how hard it can be for adults to explain online dangers to children. Research from Virgin Media O2 and Internet Matters found that only 4 out of 10 parents talk to their kids about staying safe online.

The film, made by Film Punks and directed by the Nott Brothers (Nathan Miller and Mark Danciger), follows a girl named Anika and her mum, Shanti. As Anika becomes more and more affected by what she sees online, their relationship gets strained. The film’s main message is that it’s never too early to talk to kids about online safety.

The film will be available on-demand on Virgin TV and shown on Channel 100 throughout the summer. It will also be shared with millions of Virgin Media and O2 customers through social media, newsletters, and online.

Nicola Green, Chief Communications and Corporate Affairs Officer at Virgin Media O2, said:

“As we head into the summer holidays – a period when we know children and young people are more likely to be online – we want to support parents and carers to have conversations about online safety.

“With Virgin Media O2’s multi-channel, Find the Right Words campaign, we’re providing parents and guardians with the guidance, resources and support they need to take positive actions, like having open discussions about online safety with their children, and how to implement online safety controls.

“Our powerful campaign film brings to life the issues children and teens can experience online, and that it’s never too early to talk to kids about how to stay safe online.

“We’re proudly partnering with online safety experts, Internet Matters, and leading charities, Action for Children, and Good Things Foundation, to create a campaign that resonates with and reaches parents and carers across the UK.”

Mark and Nathan (Nott Brothers) said: “Bringing this story to life has been an emotional journey, and we’re very grateful to all the team who have helped to create it. We hope it will kickstart vital conversations between parents and children about online safety.”

Ed Balcombe, Head of Production at Film Punks, added: “We were delighted to deliver this project for Virgin Media O2 and Internet Matters, bringing awareness to a topic that affects children and young people everywhere. When we were approached for the project, we knew instantly that we wanted to bring Mark and Nathan (Nott Brothers) on board to help us bring this sensitive topic to life, with both the creativity and care that it needed.

“We are so proud of what we have achieved as a team, from concept to production, and are hopeful that this campaign will encourage parents to start the conversation about online safety with their children and teenagers.”