ITV: The Break Through by Uncommon

More than 400,000 young people in the UK are being treated for mental health problems – the highest number on record. To raise awareness, ITV’s mental health campaign Britain Get Talking and creative agency Uncommon have released a new ad that encourages adults to take the time to speak to the teens in their lives.

‘The Break Through’ sees a young girl return home from school and sit down on the couch next to her dad in front of the TV. As he offers her a cup of tea and asks her about her day, subtitles appear on the screen. Downcast, she reassures him that it was ‘fine’ – but the words on the screen tell a different story.

Her father picks up on her body language and mixed signals, and continues to try and connect with her by awkwardly asking questions, seemingly getting nowhere. After numerous attempts, he finally gets through to his daughter and she begins to confide in him.

The overall message is that sometimes young people take some time to open up, but it’s important that adults don’t give up trying.