chat room awareness advert

release the hounds

[unknownsoldier]

Has anyone else seen the advert for www.thinkuknow.co.uk on TV?

The site is promoting chatting safely and the advertising is so scarey.

Saw a thread in the other day about webmasters responsibility and threat of paedophiles and the like but this advert really hit hard, almost made me want to throw up.

[mack]

I think the plan is , If it hit you hard, it will hit a kid even harder, might be enough to make then think when they go online.

I think it is about time that yahoo and other chat, messenger related sites took a stance in the fight against chat room abuse. I think there should be age restrictions and methods for age checking such as AVS system.

[martinibuster]

15 years ago, illegal aliens were the problem.

12 years ago, childcare satan worshippers were the rage.

5 years ago everybody was worried about car-jackers.

4 years ago, date-rape drugs were the scourge.

Last year, anyone with a turban was suspect.

Yawwnn... Someone please wake me when the next bogey man is knocking on the door.

Thanks.

[Crazy_Fool]

yep, very hard hitting. it should get the message across, but i think it'll hit adults hard and create total paranoia about the whole of the internet.

i think it would have been better if it was designed to educate rather than simply to create fear. my parents are in their 50s and they are convinced that almost every internet user is a paedophile. this advert reinforces their internet phobias.

maybe some reassurance as well as the warning? ie:
"the internet is great fun, used by millions of ordinary people just like you, but be careful, there are some paedophiles out there ..."
maybe do it as part of a more widespread campaign of "internet education? it could have adverts targeted at adults and kids, could cover safe shopping and safe chatting, could cover security issues (use a firewall) and virus protection and so on. the entire campaign could benefit everyone rather than scaring them sh*tl*ss.