The Children’s Society journeys through the pressures of modern teenhood
GOOD Agency has located its unsettling portrait of growing up in Britain within the confines of a double decker bus in a powerful campaign for The Children’s Society.
I spent a fair chunk of my teenage years travelling on chilly public transport, trying to blend in, so I imagine the setting of The Children’s Society’s latest campaign will resonate with many Brits.
‘Save Teenhood’ is The Children’s Society's new platform, and what the agency calls the charity's ‘most ambitious appeal to date’.
Directed by Ben Strebel through Biscuit Filmworks, the 30-second film uses a bus journey to compress the pressures facing teenagers in 2026.
The wider campaign (spanning TV, direct-response, social, digital and direct mail) draws on teenagers' own descriptions of life, translating their experiences into an appeal designed to make the adults around them take notice.
At the campaign’s centre is an alarming stat: teenagers in the UK are the unhappiest in Europe, and Save Teenhood aims to put their experiences back on the national agenda.
Well pitched
The campaign avoids reducing the issue to social media alone, or the idea that teenagers spend too much time on their phones.
Research accompanying the launch found that half of UK teenagers surveyed feel lonely or isolated, while just 32% of those who feel overwhelmed talk to somebody about it.
The Children's Society wants more places where young people can access professional support without an appointment or referral.
GOOD has history with The Children's Society. Its earlier rebrand was co-created with young people supported by the organisation, asking them how they wanted to be represented rather than deciding on their behalf.
Our take
Charity advertising that highlights young people's experiences usually features a sad teenager in a dark bedroom with a melancholy piano track. ‘Save Teenhood’ is smarter than that and understands the issues run deeper than phone use.
The copy surrounding the campaign mixes daunting personal experiences with examples of how intervention improved individuals' circumstances.
The bus setting is particularly effective. Most adults - who this is aimed at - can relate to the feeling of confinement and exposure the setting brings, but the various opinions expressed in the wider campaign ultimately appeal to protecting young people at a vulnerable time. Or as the campaign copy puts it: “At The Children’s Society, we believe in setting teenagers up to thrive. That they all deserve the chance to enjoy this brilliantly unique life stage. Because the truth is, if the future’s better for teens, it’s better for all of us.”
Credits
Client: The Children's Society
Agency: GOOD Agency
Director: Ben Strebel
Production: Biscuit Filmworks
Executive producer: Romila Sanassy
Director of photography: Benjamin Todd
VFX: 1920
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