Children’s drawings, normally associated with innocence or imagination, become a tool for reporting in “Childhood Redrawn”, a new campaign promoted by the European Association of Communications Agencies together with the 5Rights Foundation to raise awareness about the impact of digital platforms on children. The initiative seeks to pressure legislators and policymakers to demand higher child protection standards from technology companies in digital devices and services.
Illustrations inspired by school drawings are used to represent the risks
The campaign has been developed by a team of young creatives from Innocean Berlin and uses illustrations inspired by school drawings to represent how certain digital environments affect the health, development and personal relationships of children and adolescents. The pieces combine childish lines with strong messages such as “Children are absorbed by content to which they should never be addicted” or “Children receive content that they should never encounter.”
Under the claim “Tech must be safe for kids,” the campaign invites citizens to sign a petition promoted by the 5Rights Foundation. Among the measures it demands are the implementation of mandatory child safety certifications for technological products, the prohibition of algorithmic personalization for minors under 13 years of age, gradual access for minors under 18, and sanctions for platforms that expose minors to risks and harm.
The initiative is also supported by specific data on children’s use of digital platforms. According to research by the 5Rights Foundation, practically all minors between the ages of 3 and 17 use the internet and digital platforms, and can be exposed to harmful content just hours after opening a social media account. Furthermore, once they interact with this type of content, the recommendation algorithms can hit them again with similar materials in a matter of minutes.
It will have outdoor performances in Belgium, the United Kingdom and Germany thanks to spaces provided by companies such as JCDecaux
The campaign began to be deployed on May 15 on digital screens in Brussels and will continue during June with outdoor executions in Belgium, the United Kingdom and Germany, thanks to spaces provided by companies such as JCDecaux, Bauer Media, Amplifi Global and HYGH. The initiative has been developed in 23 languages and will also have audio and video adaptations planned for the end of the year.
“Childhood Redrawn” is also the first campaign born from the “Campaign4Good” program, promoted by the EACA Young Board in 2025 to promote advertising campaigns focused on social problems. The winning proposal was announced last December by Michael McGrath during the Effie Europe gala.
The institutional involvement reflects the growing regulatory debate around the protection of minors in digital environments. Various European countries are currently studying new measures on children’s access to social networks and digital platforms, while community institutions intensify pressure on big technology companies.
“Children are being exposed to digital products designed to maximize interaction, influence behavior and extract data, while the responsibility for managing the consequences too often falls on families.”said Leanda Barrington-Leach, Executive Director of the 5Rights Foundation. “Through this campaign we want to make it clear that children deserve safe technology by design and that companies must assume their responsibility.”
The creative team explains that the intention was to use the apparent visual naivety of children’s drawings to reinforce the emotional impact of the messages. “We use the juxtaposition between children’s writing and the aggressive design of the Internet to better visualize the incompatibility between both worlds,” commented Mario Andric, Linda Neumann and Axel Fonteyne, creative managers of the campaign. “Each illustration was drawn manually to reinforce that childlike aesthetic and better convey the emotional charge of the idea.”
