To encourage more open and honest conversations between parents and young people about their lives online, Media Smart, the UK advertising and media industry’s education programme, has partnered with TikTok, to produce a collection of creator-led videos and resources.

The campaign, ‘Teens, Social Media & You’ aims to address worries and provide parents, caregivers and teachers with the resources to make them feel confident in supporting teens’ usage of online platforms.

In partnership with TikTok, the creator-led campaign sees popular creators invite their audiences to a crash course in digital creation, advertising content and online safety. Young creators (aged 18+) and parent creators will deliver bespoke content for the UK, Germany, Sweden and France to address some of the common concerns adults have about young people online.

To create the campaign Media Smart partnered with youth creative agency, Livity, who helped develop the creative alongside young people and parents. Livity and Media Smart surveyed parents across the UK to identify areas to build confidence. For example, 65% of parents felt fairly confident in managing screen time but 70% of parents would like to learn more about safety tools and features on platforms. The campaign therefore addresses themes of staying safe online, specific tools and features such as Family Pairing, and healthier habits.

The series of videos aim to speak to parents as well as reach adults who do not have great digital literacy skills themselves, those whose teens aren’t yet on social media, or parents of teens who have recently reached the age to join TikTok. It will also reach 13-18-year-olds via TikTok.

"Our partnership with Media Smart is part of our commitment to working with the advertising industry to empower families with the knowledge and tools they need to navigate the online world safely and confidently,” says Isobel Sita-Lumsden, Head of Marketing, Global Business Solutions, Europe, TikTok. “By bridging the gap between parents and teens - and equipping parents with the information they need to deliver informed guidance – we’re helping families to have meaningful conversations about staying safe online."

Supplement to the video series, as part of the campaign a series of resources are available to access on Media Smart’s website. A downloadable guide answers commonly asked questions about screen time and mental wellbeing, helping teens deal with harmful content online and identifying what’s okay to share.

The campaign follows on from Media Smart’s ‘Adverts, Creators and You’, a partnership with TikTok which launched in 2021 to help teens differentiate advertising and organic content on platforms.

By bringing parents and young people into the conversation the campaign aims to break down barriers and create a safer online experience for all.