To mark International Missing Children’s Day, AMBER Alert Europe, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in the field of child protection, and law enforcement officers from around the globe launch a new campaign with the motto ‘THINK BEFORE YOU SHARE’. 

The campaign is dedicated to raising awareness around a topic that has increasingly become an issue for minors over the past years – sharing self-generated naked images. 

The covid-19 pandemic along with the continuous growth of social media platforms, have increased the amount of self-generated naked teen pictures uploaded and shared daily online. A dramatic rise of 77 percent since 2019, according to the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF). This worrying behaviour has become normal among younger generations, to the point that 1 in 3 teenagers have admitted to having seen non-consensually shared nudes. 

Frank Hoen, chairman and founder of AMBER Alert Europe says: “Social media and messaging apps have become increasingly popular among teenagers as means of exploring and expressing their sexuality. This also includes taking and sharing nude images of themselves. Many teens feel that this is completely harmless and trust that their images will remain only with the intended recipient. Unfortunately, reality teaches us that this is often not the case. We would like to make teens aware that these kinds of self-generated images can have far-reaching consequences on their health and wellbeing once shared, and could also lead to sexual extortion and coercion - even criminal charges."

The film and posters of the campaign, created by Innocean Berlin in collaboration with Zauberberg Productions, depict a relatable situation for many; loving parents sharing cute naked baby pictures of their children with their friends and family. While the campaign is not intended to keep parents from taking innocent baby pictures, this familiar scene is used to make teens aware that noone can be trusted with their naked pictures, not even their parents. 

This important message of a sensitive topic is executed with light-hearted tonality - something the younger generation can relate to. As Ricardo Wolff, Executive Creative Director of Innocean Berlin says: "Often, humour is the best way to address a serious topic. So when our friends at AMBER Alert Europe asked us to develop a concept to raise awareness about minors sharing nudes, we turned to comedy. But with a powerful, truthful twist. By depicting a 15-year-old birthday girl whose reputation melts in front of her eyes as her parents proudly overshare her toddler nudes, we're sending a message that will resonate with the kids. I'm pretty sure they'll laugh, but deep down they'll know exactly what NOT to do from now on."

Directed by Micky Suelzer, and with photos by Sven Schrader, the campaign kicks off the annual campaign by AMBER Alert Europe. It is scheduled to go live in 27 countries worldwide on social media, digital advertisement screens, and will be shared globally by ministries, national police forces and NGOs in the field of missing and exploited children.