AUCKLAND, Today: DDB Group Aotearoa, Samsung, Safe Surfer and Auckland Normal Intermediate have teamed up to launch a world-first campaign showing the brutal reality of online harm for kids.
Called The Worst Children’s Library, the campaign transformed a school library into a confronting, real-world version of the internet — replacing every innocent book with one based on harmful content children have actually seen.
The shelves held over 1,000 fake book titles based on real data — including court reports, police files, academic research and news stories — covering everything from hate speech to animal cruelty.
Each book was catalogued in a made-up “Dewey Decimal System of Harm”, with shocking titles like ‘100 Ways To Self-Harm’, ‘Cruel Ways To Kill Animals’, and ‘1,2,3, Count Calories With Me’.
Matty Burton, DDB Aotearoa’s Group Chief Creative Officer, said the emotional impact of the library was a crucial part of helping parents understand what their kids might be exposed to.
“Parents will never know about the worst stuff that their kids have seen online. Because their kids will never tell them. So we needed to come up with a way to demonstrate the scale of harmful content that children have seen.” – Matty Burton
“Parents will never know about the worst stuX that their kids have seen online. Because their kids will never tell them. So we needed to come up with a way to demonstrate the scale of harmful content that children have seen,” Burton said.
“Bringing it into a familiar school setting really hammered home the warning to parents everywhere. It really exposes how shocking the content really is.”
The R18-rated installation was open to the public over April 5–6 and quickly filled up, with every session booked out by parents, teachers and even government ministers.
Visitors were offered tools, resources and insights to better protect their children and navigate conversations around digital harm in today’s always-connected world.
Shannon Watts from Samsung said it was essential to empower parents in a meaningful way.
“In partnership with Safe Surfer we are proud have been able to help bring the ‘The Worst Children’s Library’ to life and provide a tangible demonstration to educate parents on the real threats they need to protect their children from.” – Shannon Watts
“In partnership with Safe Surfer we are proud have been able to help bring the ‘The Worst Children’s Library’ to life and provide a tangible demonstration to educate parents on the real threats they need to protect their children from.
“In today’s world, staying connected with our kids is essential, and mobile phones have become almost a necessity. However, it’s crucial for parents to understand the risks of unlimited internet access—especially when children may not fully grasp the context of the content they’re exposed to.”
The Worst Children’s Library is part of DDB’s ongoing work with Safe Surfer and Samsung. The trio previously launched the Kid-Safe Smartphone, a world-first phone with built-in filtering and customisable safety features.
It’s all part of a bigger mission to keep kids connected — while keeping them safe.
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