People like Greta Thunberg are proving that in this digital day and age, children and teens can be strong vocal leaders that have the power to demand change. So, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (#CRC30) we wanted to find a way to include children from all parts of the world. We turned to TikTok and its half billion young users and created something that got them actively involved in the matter. This was back in 2019 when TikTok was solely for youngsters. We studied the style and mechanics of this unique social network and pledged to create a campaign completely in its language.

The most common activity on TikTok is: challenges. You create a routine and then I'll copy it. It’s as simple as it is entertaining. To remind children of the fact that this right to express themselves freely didn’t come easily, we created a different type of challenge: The Real Challenge. We asked them to step in the shoes of their less fortunate peers: Young kids who are forced to work instead of playing; Girls who are perceived as lesser beings than boys; Children who are being separated from their families against their will and so on. With the help of international TikTok influencers, various challenges were spread and the results were massive. By making kids mimic these situations, we made them think and increased the chance of sparking a conversation about it with their parents.

The children’s rights treaty is the most ratified human rights document in history. On its 30th anniversary, we wanted to include children from all parts of the world because (1) the subject matters most to them and (2) people like Greta Thunberg have proven that kids can be vocal leaders.

So, we turned to TikTok and its half billion users at a time when the social platform was still solely for youngsters. We searched for a way to translate this complex matter into a language that the international youth understands. The most common activity on TikTok is, challenges. So we created: The Real Challenge and triggered kids to mimic the situations of their peers across the globe. By making kids mimic these situations, we made them think and increased the chance of sparking a conversation about it with their pare

We created 4 videos about children’s right violations like equal rights, family unity, bullying and child labour.

We amplified the reach of our challenge content with the help of TikTok influencers all over the world. Influencers like Luciana Spinelli (Italy - 7,7M followers), Anna B (UK - 2,3M followers), Cain Guzman (Mexico - 15M followers), Ignacia Antonia (Chili - 17,2M followers), Stien Edlund (Belgium - 2,7M followers), Abdulaziz Salman (Saoudi-Arabia - 1,6M followers), Cedi Solms (Germany - 1,5M followers), Mridul Madhok (India - 10,7M followers) and Sandy SS (Indonesia - 10,8M followers) helped spread our message by sharing or doing our challenges themselves.

We specifically chose influencers who have a positive attitude and personality, are socially engaged, above 13 years old and we did a background check to make sure they do not pose a threat to Unicef or the EU in terms of improper conduct.

In less than a month, the campaign generated more than 95.000 unique pieces of user generated content that amassed a stellar 462 million views in over 50 countries. The Real Challenge was applauded by the European Parliament for being the first children’s rights campaign, in its 30 years history, that was made in a language children all over the world actually understand.