A bright red bench paired with a red phone has been placed in a public space in London. Parents are invited to sit down, pick up the handset, and start a conversation with the real experts of the online world – teens themselves. The installation is part of a campaign, The Open Line, by The Elephant Room for Vodafone urging parents to break the silence around online safety – and start talking with their teens about what’s really happening behind the screen.

Jordan Stone, head of content & influencer marketing at Vodafone UK, commented, “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,” added 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, offering practical tools for families to stay connected safely. 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 on its commitment to online safety 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.

Credits

Client: Vodafone
Client team: Jordan Stone, Cassia Colling, Ejiro Edevbie

Agency: The Elephant Room
Executive Creative Director: Nina Taylor
Creative Director: Matt Gray
Producer: Sharon Joyce
Account Lead: Rhea Manuel

Production Company: Dark Energy Films
Director: David Stoddart
Managing Director: Matt Brown
Producer: Phil Burgess
Production Manager: Lucy Brown
Casting: Raw Research
Casting Directors: Ciara Kennedy & Katie Moriarty
Psychologist: Caroline Bradley
Editor: Oliver Morgan & Marshall Street Editors

Post Production: Absolute Post
Colourist: Phil Hambi
On-line: Alex Neale 
Flame: Kieran Baxter
Post Producers: Kayleigh Dugdale & Tia Duff

Sound Studio: Art4Noise
Sound Engineer: Nick Baldock
Music Composer: Oliver Morgan