Child Focus: Call Glenn, Mother

More and more young people are becoming victims of 'exposing.' This is when their naked images are spread online without their consent. Glenn was one such victim. When he was 15, he took a nude with his mobile phone and sent it in confidence, only to find it on the internet. Shortly afterwards, Glenn took his own life. On 18 November, the European Day for the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, Wunderman Thompson Benelux and Child Focus reactivated his phone to better protect other minors online. In 2022, Child Focus, the Belgian Center for Missing and Sexually Exploited Children, opened a total of 151 cases of transgressive sexting and exposing. This is when young people are pressured into sending or sharing sexually suggestive messages or images without consent. The organisation has observed a new phenomenon in recent years: these types of images, often along with the victims’ private information, are being spread via social media platforms such as Snapchat, WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram, or Telegram, both within so-called exposing groups and elsewhere. Victims in these groups are humiliated, insulted, threatened, and even blackmailed. That’s why Wunderman Thompson and Child Focus are launching this year’s campaign ‘Call Glenn’. Glenn's phone has been reactivated by Wunderman Thompson. But this time, it is to protect other young people from transgressive sexting and exposing. If you call Glenn today, you’ll be adding your name to a petition calling for better online protection for minors. You can do this by calling (+32) 0492 79 58 30, the same number friends and family used to reach Glenn up until six years ago. Of course, when you call Glenn today, you won’t reach him. But you will hear him saying his name briefly when the phone goes to voicemail. You’ll then discover why he’s unavailable. To record this modified message, the original voicemail voice of Glenn’s provider was used. After sharing Glenn’s tragic story, you are asked not to leave just any message after the tone, but to say your first and last name to sign the petition. In the campaign, Wunderman Thompson and Child Focus are urging people to call Glenn. The campaign has received support from many well-known Belgian names including Pommelien Thijs, Frances Lefebure, James Cooke, and Elisabeth Lucie Baeten. And Sean Dhondt and Celine Van Ouytsel have also joined the fight against exposing. They themselves have experienced this phenomenon after nude images or deepfakes – AI-generated nude images – of them were spread online. In videos, they can be seen calling Glenn and then saying their names before encouraging others to call Glenn’s number as well. Besides the online videos featuring Belgian celebrities, a TV spot, radio spot, digital out of homes and an online campaign film were also made. Each time, Glenn’s mobile phone is the focus of attention. The website also features the emotional testimony of Glenn’s mother. Victims can find help there and report incidents of exposing or abusive images. Additionally, the number of missed calls to Glenn’s phone is also being tracked. That’s important because every missed call will be used to petition for better online protection for young people.