Teenagers don’t always say what they are really feeling. Parents don’t always know what so say to help. ITV’s ongoing Britain Get Talking campaign by Uncommon Creative Studio, which has become the UK’s most recognised mental health campaign, has returned with a powerful film encouraging adults to take time to break through to teens in their lives to tackle growing mental health crisis amongst young people

The campaign film, The Break Through, shows a typical conversation between a father and his teen daughter. But within it the disjoint between what a father and daughter are thinking and saying to each other is revealed using subtitles and the girl’s body language. Eventually, by making himself available to listen and inviting the daughter to talk, the father gets his daughter to open up. The film aims to give adults the hope that they can break through to their teens and the wider campaign seeks to give them the time and the tools to help have those conversations.

The campaign, supported by Mind and YoungMinds, and SAMH in Scotland, aims to address the fact that even though young people are carrying a lot on their shoulders, they often struggle to talk about it. Its core message is how important it is for adults to keep trying, because it takes time to break through.

Almost half of young people in the UK struggle with anxiety and more than 400,000 children and young people a month are being treated for mental health problems — the highest number on record.

Since Uncommon and ITV launched Britain Get Talking in 2019 by pausing the live broadcast of Britain’s Got Talent so that people culd talk to each other, research indicates that Brits have had 100 million new or more meaningful conversations as a result of the campaign, which has featured celebrities from Captain Tom to Susanna Reid, Maya Jama to Shirley Hancock.

Susie Braun, director of social purpose, ITV, stated, “Britain Get Talking has always been about connecting, which is one of the most powerful ways we can look after our mental health. With children and young people increasingly facing challenges to their mental wellbeing, this campaign encourages and celebrates taking the time and making space for conversation. We hope this campaign can be a reminder to anyone with a teenager in their lives to keep making time to break through.”

Nils Leonard, co-founder at Uncommon, added, “Exploring the gap between what we say and how we feel felt an important conversation to bring to bear, especially when it comes to the young people in our lives. We’re incredibly proud of the impact this initiative continues to have and is exactly the type of work we wanted to make when we set-up Uncommon.”

The new film went to air in an exclusive moment on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Tuesday, July 26, and will run on the channel throughout summer. The campaign will also include on-screen breakthrough moments, interrupting the broadcaster’s programming throughout the week.

Emma Thomas, chief executive at YoungMinds, said, “There has been nothing normal about the past few years — our young people have faced disruption to their education, isolation from friends and family and uncertainty about their futures. This is reflected in record numbers of seeking help and being referred for NHS treatment for their mental health. We know that sadly, so many are still waiting for the right support. Early help, when young people first start to struggle with their mental health, can make a huge difference and there are many, simple ways to be there for a young person when they ask for support. One of those is having a conversation about how they are feeling, which is why we are backing the Britain Get Talking campaign. Things are tough for young people right now, but when the adults around them take the time to check in and ask how they’re really doing, it can be the first step to them getting the right help.”

Credits:
Creative Studio: Uncommon
Client: ITV

Production Company: Anonymous content
Director: Thirty Two
Co-Producer: George Saunders
DOP: David Faulkes
Production Assistant: Allanagh Spratling
Casting Director: Karmel Chocrane

Editing House Producer: Phoebe Armstrong Beaver @ Assembly Rooms
Editor: Sam Rice Edwards
Post Production House Producer: Chris Aliano @ Time Based Arts
Recording Studio Producer: Neil Athale @ Soundtree
Recording Engineer: Henning Knoepfel