NSPCC Shows How Online Harms Interrupt Children's Everyday Lives

Independent creative agency House of Oddities has launched ‘Shift Ctrl’, a new campaign for NSPCC that calls for greater action to protect children in online spaces as the Government’s consultation on online safety enters its final stages.

Rolling out across the UK from May 15th, the campaign is led by a 60‐second TVC conceived by House of Oddities to demonstrate how online harms can severely disrupt children’s everyday lives.

Shift Ctrl launches at a moment when public concern about children’s online safety is intensifying and political attention is sharpening, and with good reason. New data from Childline, the NSPCC-run service, reveals that between April 2025 and March 2026 Childline delivered 2,444 counselling sessions about online child sexual abuse and exploitation, marking a 36% annual increase.

These figures reflect a wider picture of online harms which have increased by 30% compared to the year before.

Shift Ctrl shows what is at stake for children online, reinforcing the seriousness and urgency of the issue at a point where real change is possible. The campaign is targeted at parents and is designed to ensure that the grim reality of what children are being exposed to online cannot be ignored.

The hero film was produced by Partizan and directed by Ethan & Tom through a tightly coordinated blend of traditional film craft and post‐production precision. Ethan & Tom pushed to capture as much as possible ‘in-camera’ – from bespoke neon builds casting real light across the set, to large‐scale wind effects and practical environmental detail.

Shot on 35mm by BAFTA‐nominated DOP Nick Morris, these physical elements were then seamlessly extended by Framestore’s VFX, creating a world that remains tangible even as it shifts into the surreal.

Sound plays a key role in grounding the work. The film opens with a track by PinkPantheress – following her previous collaboration with Ethan & Tom on Illegal – before transitioning into an original analogue‐led score by Johnny Jewel (Chromatics), adding texture and emotional depth.

The hero film focuses on the interruption of everyday teenage life, showing how online harms can intrude into ordinary day to day experiences. It is deliberately emotional, underlining the need for immediate action to better protect children.

​Kevin Yeates, head of brand and marketing at NSPCC, said, “Our campaign reveals how online harm intrudes into children’s everyday lives, even in moments that appear safe. Ordinary settings are disrupted by dark, digital forces symbolising abuse, coercion and control, visualised through glowing keyboard commands that strip children of agency. Resolution only comes when an adult or peer steps in, reinforcing the message that the current system is failing children. The film raises the alarm at a national scale, positioning NSPCC as demanding a safer online world for children.”

​Sachini Imbuldeniya, CEO, House of Oddities, added, “Online harms can chip away at a child’s sense of safety, confidence and control. It’s a big challenge to represent these concepts on-screen... We decided to lean into genres of sci-fi and fantasy, striking a balance between surreal digital spaces and the very real impact they can have in ‘our’ world. While the primary audience was adults, this gave us an opportunity to create something that would cross generations and resonate with teens too – with a contemporary visual style that could cut through the noise of an ad break and pull viewers in. Ethan & Tom brought an extraordinary level of craft and care to the project, creating something that feels both unsettling and deeply human at the same time.”

The campaign runs from 15th May to 31st May. The 60” hero film will appear in cinemas, with a 30” cut‐down running across on‐demand TV services including Sky, All 4 and ITVX, alongside social media platforms Meta, TikTok and YouTube.