Dennis the Menace gets catfished in EE phone safety tutorial for children
Mobile operator EE is raising awareness of the potential threats posed to children by mobile phones by presenting its tips and warnings in the style of a traditional comic.
A special edition of The Beano created by Pitch features fan-favorite characters Dennis the Menace and Minnie the Minx as they navigate the potential pitfalls of owning a first mobile phone, from privacy issues to the dangers of social media.
Geared toward parents, 52% of whom concede they would not survive the online world as a child today, the educational campaign makes sense of an often confusing issue by presenting the challenges in an easily digestible format.
Commissioned research by EE found that 60% of parents fret that their children are not equipped to protect themselves on phones, with 55% admitting that they were powerless to prevent their children from viewing unsuitable online content.
Victoria Johnson, digital impact and sustainability campaigns and engagement director at BT Group, said: “As a parent of two I know the excitement a new phone brings a child, but it also worries me allowing them access to everything in the online world. That’s why it’s been great to be able to use The Beano characters familiar from my childhood to share tips and advice on how children can navigate using their phones safely.”
Lucy Hutchinson, head of PR at Pitch, added: “Working with The Beano has given us so much opportunity to explore different online challenges in a lighthearted way but with a clear and important message, contextualizing so many of the fears parents (rightly) feel and showing how EE PhoneSmart can help.”
EE has developed the PhoneSmart License, an online course created in partnership with Internet Matters, to educate children on how to stay safe and be kind online.
A previous study by The Beano found that 55% of under-10s regularly create video content.