EE Helps Parents Navigate Children's First Steps into Smartphones in Spot from Daniel Wolfe

EE, the best network for families, has launched Safer SIMs - dedicated smartphone plans for under 18s, designed to support young people at different stages of their digital development. As the first major UK network to offer these plans, the new Safer SIMs launch with a campaign to help parents safely and confidently make the choice about smartphone usage that is right for them and their family. By giving parents peace of mind around safety, while ensuring children can stay connected on any smartphone, EE’s Safer SIMs are support the whole family - and help reinforce EE’s position as the UK’s best network for families .

The campaign, 'Safer SIMs', launches ahead of the start of the new school year, when many families are weighing up if now is the right time for a child to get a phone, and is built on the insight that only 52% of parents feel they have the right tools and guidance to manage their child’s smartphone and social media usage.

The campaign leads with a film, First Day, by Saatchi & Saatchi. The film uses the backdrop of the first day of school to showcase the pivotal moment when a parent hands their child a smartphone for the first time. As the device changes hands, the world around them spins - a visual metaphor for the parent’s mind racing through all the ways a smartphone might shape their child’s life. We follow imagined scenarios unfolding throughout the school day, children in the playground, chatting in bathrooms, taking photos together - but also moments of sadness, isolation and uncertainty. These flashes reflect the parent’s inner hopes that their child will enjoy all the good that comes from being connected, alongside the instinct to protect them from harm. The story then returns to that same pivotal handover, this time with EE’s Safer SIM. The imagined anxieties are replaced with reassurance as we see the children happy, confident and connected, safely enjoying life with their friends.

As an extension of the campaign, earlier this summer Saatchi & Saatchi and Digitas UK launched The P.H.O.N.E. Chat, a digital activation boosted by paid media and PR to help parents have important conversations with their children about phones, a conversation which can often seem overwhelming and daunting. It builds on the LearnSmart (EE’s learning platform by Digitas) First Phone page by providing educational resources alongside details of EE’s Safer SIMs plans, making it easier for parents to connect with their children around the topic of phone safety.

The wider campaign is supported by OOH, radio and social (also by Saatchi & Saatchi), influencer content from Boomerang, digital engagement, content and customer activation by Digitas and retail by LeSHOP. All paid media has been planned and bought by the OpenConnect team at WPP Media and OOH agency, Posterscope.

​Kelly Engstrom, brand and demand generation communications director at EE commented, “As the UK’s best network for families, we understand that growing up with phones is hard, which is why we are going further to make sure parents and children feel supported when making those all-important decisions around smartphone usage. Through the launch of our Safer SIMs plans that work with any smartphone, and our new campaign, we hope to help families navigate the online world safely and confidently.”

​Ben Mooge, CCO Publicis Groupe said, “With Safer SIMs, parents can feel confident their child’s phone use is safer and they are more protected. First Day captures a familiar family milestone - the mix of excitement and nerves as a child takes their first phone to school, and shows how EE Safer SIMs can offer reassurance at a time when the topic has never been more important for children and society.”

EE under 18s Safer SIMs launched earlier this month, and are available to use with any smartphone. Each SIM-only plan includes built-in content controls to block inappropriate content on websites when they’re on the UK’s best mobile network, scam protection through call labelling, and access to EE’s data gifting and Stay Connected Data – ensuring young people have enough data to keep in touch, even if their allowance has run out.

In addition, EE announced in-store online safety appointments across the UK with expert Guides in over 400 EE retail stores across the country, open to all regardless of whether they are an existing EE customer or not. Families can book a 30-minute appointment with an EE Guide to receive personalised support and practical guidance, supported by content developed in partnership with online safety experts Internet Matters.