When two inspiring young creatives came to me with an issue they were facing over COVID, we had to act. They had seen the number of unsolicited dick pics sent to them skyrocket. Asking the rest of the female-heavy department for their experiences showed that the problem was endemic. So we mobilised a crew to set about changing the law, inspired by the criminalisation of ‘upskirting’ a few years earlier.
Brook are a progressive sexual health charity in the UK, focussed on young people. And although sending nudes to those under 18 is already a crime we felt that a change to the law, and education about the harms it causes, could turn the tide - if flashing in real life is illegal, why not online?
A beautiful OOH and digital campaign followed, with strategically placed QR codes that linked to lobbying your MP for change, as well as a wealth of bite size and insta friendly educational assets.
This got the attention of MPs, who wrote cyberflashing into the Online Harms Bill, even bringing up our campaign within a session of parliament. The law was passed by the House of Commons in 2021 and by the House of Lords in 2023.
