ITV is asking “Would you say it?” as part of a new behaviour change campaign to tackle online trolling, developed in partnership with The CyberSmile Foundation.
The campaign, which launches tonight (6 April 2023) during an advert break in the England vs Brazil Women’s Football match on ITV1, will be broadcast across all of ITV’s channels.
Developed by ITV Creative, three creative executions feature unsuspecting social media users coming face-to-face with people at the receiving end of their hurtful comments. The adverts show the impact of their comments and asks viewers to think twice about what they post with the tagline: “If you wouldn’t say it, don’t send it”
The ads specifically target people who pass hurtful comments off as ‘banter’. Known as ‘casual critics’, this group is responsible for most online trolling but typically don’t believe they cause any harm.
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New research commissioned by ITV shows that almost one third of UK adults have received some form of negative comments online, with this increasing significantly for the 16-34 age group. Posting negative comments online has become so normalised that over half (51%) of adults say that if people “don’t want to receive negative comments, they shouldn’t post on social media”.
The Cybersmile Foundation – a nonprofit specialising in tackling all forms of bullying and abuse online – advised ITV on the campaign, which signposts audiences to WouldYouSayIt.itv, which directs users to specialist advice and support.
ITV director of social purpose Susie Braun said: “So much of our lives are now spent online so it’s important to think about our mental wellbeing there too.
“Trolling dressed up as banter is having a real impact on lives beyond the screen, which is why ITV is proud to partner with Cybersmile to do our bit in making a difference.”
The Cybersmile Foundation CEO Scott Freeman said the campaign was designed to “remind people that comments and words shared online carry great power and that we need to consider our use of them in the same way that we are mindful of what we say offline”.
The campaign is part of a wider initiative by ITV to tackle online abuse, with The Social Media Awareness Hub which helps show participants navigate social media attention, building on the existing welfare support offered before, during and after filming.
