Safe Surfer

A safe access point to the web

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Define the problem

Access to unfiltered internet is an open gateway and our children need to be protected. Enterprise solutions exist but nothing for families. Little research has been done into technology, pornography and the effects on young Kiwis. But Nigel Latta did some research recently and concluded:

82% of NZ 16-18 year olds have seen pornography.

31% of NZ boys are watching porn several times a week.

37% of NZ young people say pornography has shaped expectations in relationships.

Yet according to the NZ Children’s Media Report only 1/3 NZ families use any form of parent controls. With this in mind, Safe Surfer is a social enterprise that aims to raise the awareness of the harms of pornography on children and build clever technology to block pornography.

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Design the solution

Confusing technology was a barrier to uptake, so we used a family-friendly illustration style to simplify the understanding of how Safesurfer works. The lifeguard theme is also a concept familiar to Kiwi families and visually connects the danger of virtual surfing with its real-world counterpart. Messaging was kept small and bite-sized so people could skim to understand without being overwhelmed.

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Deliver the experience

In the first ten days after the launch of the new branding and website, Safe Surfer gained 60, 000 new subscribers and are on their way to their dream of being able to pool the money back into education/awareness technology/programmes.

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