Harry and Meghan, the Duke & Duchess of Sussex, are backing a hard-hitting campaign to raise awareness of online abuse, and consequent mental ill health, amongst young people in particular.
The high profile couple is doing this by putting their business’s name, The Archewell Foundation, to a public art installation featuring 55 giant smartphones, each showing the face of a young person who took their life due to online abuse.
By using these arresting ‘monuments’ of mobile phones the campaign aims to confront online harm head-on, showing clearly the real-world consequences of digital harm.
Moving beyond stats to stories
The advertising experts behind the idea, M&C Saatchi, wanted to find a way – as many employers also strive to achieve with their communications – to move beyond statistics and news headlines and encourage viewers to resonate personally with the message. It concluded this innovative way of telling the stories behind the statistics was the most effective way to do this.
The campaign garnered widespread media attention, including national coverage from BBC News. It sparked public conversations around online safety and the responsibilities of technology platforms.
The technology was created by Giant iTab and its 55 smartphone installations were exhibited on a rooftop in New York City.
Harry and Meghan have talked openly about how online abuse has affected them personally in the past, and their worries for their two children, prompting them to set up a programme to support parents.
But it’s not just children experiencing bullying or harassment online. There’s also much concern in the business community that the move to hybrid is leading to more digital bullying. For instance, a survey from The Workplace Bullying Institute in 2021 showed that 43% of remote workers said they had experienced workplace bullying, with the number of tribunal claims for bullying rising 44% in the UK in 2022.
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