Knifing attacks are an ongoing problem in the UK. Although decreasing slightly from 53, 000 the previous year, 48,774 to March 2026 is still horrifying.

UK agency, TBWA\MCR, children’s community organisation, Simmply Active, make that number continue to fall. By warning parents that exposure to knife carrying can begin far earlier than many realise.  The national awareness and prevention campaign challenges one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding knife crime, that children are only exposed to knife carrying in their teenage years.

The campaign, photographed by Lol Keegan, features arresting images of knife wounds on familiar childhood toys – a teddy bear, doll and rubber duck. It is running across donated digital OOH media throughout August, alongside a mobile digital advertising van operating across London through Mobile Media. 

“The unsettling creative is designed to confront an uncomfortable reality. While knife crime is most visible among teenagers, professionals working with children are increasingly seeing knife carrying emerge at much younger ages. Among under-10s, it is often a safeguarding issue rather than criminality, influenced by content, gaming, social media and older peers,” Simmply Active noted in the campaign blog. “Rather than simply highlighting the problem, the campaign positions Simmply Active as part of the solution.”

The campaign aims to spark conversations in homes, schools and communities, encouraging parents and carers to recognise that the earliest warning signs may not look the way they expect, by reframing knife carrying as an issue of prevention rather than criminality.