Watch Out! is the first national mobile initiative to keep distracted kids safe in traffic.

The initiative uses beacon transmitters in a completely new way, which can save lives: it stops kids in traffic from being distracted by their smartphones.

Once the appropriate mobile app is installed, distracted kids are warned at dangerous locations like traffic lights: their devices receive a signal from a beacon transmitter nearby. A warning screen appears and all smartphone activities like gaming, writing or reading are immediately blocked. As a result the kid’s attention is fully brought back to traffic.

As beacon transmitters were placed near dangerous traffic lights and crossroads, the appropriate mobile app could be downloaded on the App Store and Google Play Store. Both, the mobile app as well as the initiative itself, was communicated in a digital campaign. There parents had the possibility to mark dangerous traffic lights on a map and suggest the spots to the o2 Watch Out Team as a possible location for beacons.

A digital campaign generated widespread awareness: over 7 million parents were reached with the help of an online display campaign on relevant websites that also could be seen on mobile devices. As a final result so far almost 6.500 push notifications were sent by the Watch Out! app to smartphones of distracted kids and teenagers.