A campaign film from Deutsche Telekom, shares a scary but vital message when it comes to protecting children’s identity and data online.
What the film is about
“A Message from Ella” opens on an ordinary family moment, until a grown-up version of nine-year-old Ella appears and speaks directly to her stunned parents. She isn’t really grown up at all — she’s a deepfake, built from a single childhood photo using the latest AI technology.
Her warning is simple and unsettling: everything shared about her online as a child could one day be used against her. The film kicks off Deutsche Telekom’s 2023 #ShareWithCare campaign which tackles sharenting — parent’s everyday habit of posting photos, names and milestones of their kids on social media.
It’s a habit most netizens don’t think twice about, but the numbers are sobering: over 75% of parents share their children’s data online, often unaware of the risks, and a five-year-old child already has an average of 1,500 photos posted about them without their consent.
Experts on the issue predict two-thirds of identity theft cases will stem from sharenting by 2030.
This film reached 71 countries and racked up billions of impressions, changing hundreds of parents’ views on sharing their child’s identity and information online.
Watch the film below:
Charity check-in
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Internet Watch Foundation. The UK’s leading charity in the fight against online child sexual abuse content, it operates a confidential hotline and works with tech companies and law enforcement worldwide to identify and remove harmful material from the internet. Find out more.
National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). A US nonprofit and the nation’s centralised reporting hub for missing and exploited children. They run the CyberTipline and NetSmartz education programme to help families and children navigate digital risks safely. Find out more here.
WeProtect Global Alliance. This is an international alliance of governments, tech companies and civil society organisations spanning over 100 countries. They work to prevent child sexual exploitation and abuse online through shared policy, technology, and research. Support them here.