Vodafone's 'The Open Line' Breaks the Silence Around Online Safety

Vodafone has announced the launch of The Open Line, a new campaign created with London creative agency The Elephant Room, rolling out in early November 2025. The campaign urges parents to break the silence around online safety — and start talking with their teens about what’s really happening behind the screen.

At the heart of The Open Line is a simple but powerful idea: a bright red bench paired with a red phone, placed in a public space. Parents are invited to sit down, pick up the handset, and start a conversation with the real experts of the online world -teens themselves.

​Jordan Stone, head of content and influencer marketing at Vodafone UK, commented on the campaign's significance: “Vodafone wants to be a real-world ally that makes a difference.

"We know technology is a great enabler for young people but for parents, knowing how to keep their children safe online can feel overwhelming. Yet research consistently shows that open, honest conversation remains one of the most effective forms of protection.

"‘The Open Line’ helps by making the conversation relatable and human, giving parents the confidence they need to open up with their children. Importantly, it directs people straight to the great tools and resources we’ve developed with the NSPCC, so parents can take advantage of real, useful support”.

“We wanted to create something unmistakably human,” said Nina Taylor, executive creative director at The Elephant Room. “In a world where so much of teenage life happens behind screens, the open line is about real-life, emotional connection.

Teens spend more time online than any generation before them - but with that comes exposure to misinformation, cyberbullying, and the growing pressures of social media. For parents, knowing how to keep their children safe can feel overwhelming. ‘The Open Line’ is a powerful reminder to start an all important conversation with your teen.

Beyond the physical installation, The Open Line extends into digital and social storytelling, sparking national dialogue and offering practical tools for families to stay connected in the digital age. It is the latest campaign from Vodafone tackling online safety and part of its ongoing commitment to support families as they build healthy digital habits. It follows other recent work including' Rise of the Aggro-rithm,' which campaigned for Safety by Design, a ‘Phish N Tips’ pop-up designed to support families with conversations about scams and the UK launch of the HMD Fuse with Harmblock+ which raised awareness of the rise in young people being asked to share explicit images.

Vodafone has been working in the online safety space for 15 years and has a number of useful tools and resources available. These include Vodafone’s online safety toolkit created in conjunction with NSPCC, which supports families in having online safety conversations, as well as Vodafone’s free children’s eBook, featuring new fables for the digital age. Vodafone has also recently expanded its parental control resources, Digital Parenting Pro, to include emerging platforms such as Threads and Stars.