This work is relevant for 'Use of Technology' because uses real-time data-tracking technology in a life-saving way, since social media platforms are an integral part of modern life, the potential dangers they pose to users have been flagged as a public health issue. In many countries the conversation has revolved mainly around the threat these channels pose to mental health, although there are also physical threats, especially to younger users, while attempting deadly social challenges.

It's a service that allows parents to have visibility into their children's actions on social media and helps them protect them from deadly trends.

Finland is a pioneer in information technology, with many companies bringing mobile innovations and fast internet connection as a part of the mainstream culture. Finns are proud of their role in developing these technologies, which has resulted in them becoming an integral part of Finnish culture. Due to this cultural impact, Finnish children are one of the youngest in the world to receive their first mobile phones and access to the internet. This also means that social media - with all the good and the dangers of it- comes into their lives at a very early age, making them extra vulnerable to potential dangers. This becomes apparent with the sad realization that in the past few years, multiple children have lost their lives while filming content and trying to attempt deadly social challenges.

Humans are social animals with an innate desire for attention. Social media effectively capitalizes on this need, which is why people love joining viral "challenges."

While some of these challenges are admittedly awesome and a fun way to be a part of something larger than yourself, many social media trends have proven to be dangerous or even deadly.

The Mannerheim League of Children Welfare is on a mission to ensure every child can have a happy and secure childhood, mentally and physically, so in order to fulfill this mission, the organization has set its sights on offering parents ways that help keep their children safe from potentially lethal social media trends.

The Lethal Trend Warning System is an algorithm-based alert service that identifies and alerts parents about locally emerging social media challenges via WhatsApp before they become viral.

Parents can sign up for free, on desktop or mobile, with just one click.

No downloads nor registration is required, allowing parents to customize the warning range by geo-fencing their homes and their kids' schools.

The innovation lies simply in providing parents with never-before-seen visibility of the actions of children on social media. The data required to execute the idea already existed on social media channels, MLL just gathered the data and created an AI-driven algorithm with the capabilities to interpret and highlight potentially lethal trends.

DATA GATHERING: Behind the execution lies a technology designed to pinpoint data points associated with dangerous trends. The data is cross-referenced with location data, allowing parents to see which trends are emerging locally. The data is gathered from Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat since these channels play and host the most trending “social challenges” and other popular content among young audiences.

APPROACH: To promote the service we partnered with an influencer who experienced first-hand the harms of these trends. Niilo, a Finnish boy with dreams of becoming an influencer, passed away tragically due to taking part in lethal trends.

TARGET AUDIENCE: With the cooperation of Niilo's parents, we utilised his social profiles to promote the service. By using the audience optimization options - available by default on any social platform - we posted content targeting parents, invisible to children.

IMPLEMENTATION: The algorithm scans millions of social data points per second in real-time and performs numeric projections identifying harmful trends. The end result is a service with the capability of saving lives with the help of social media data.

TIMELINE:

Conceptualization: October 2023

Tech Development: December 2023 to February 2024

Implementation: February, March 2024

Launching (Creative/Social Campaign/PR): March 2024

MEDIA CHANNELS: The project counts with a digital hub where parents can sign up for the warning system for free, available on desktop and mobile. A social campaign powered by the profiles of a youngster who died attempting a deadly challenge served as a communication channel to target parents.

SCALE: Site visits 700k/average per month.

A petition demanding social media giants make their platforms safer for children has gathered over 6000 signatures.

The Ministry of Education of Finland is planning to adopt the platform and promote it to other European countries.

15,7 Million Media Reach

8,011 Threats Identified and Warned

+300% Increase awareness

Niilos story video: Organic on Instagram 180k views, over 3,000 likes,

Ad Reach 132k, 40k watched the video at least 15s (7.5k watched the whole video).

Social content: Organically seen on Instagram by over 80k +

paid reached +100k people, of which 28k watched the video for at least 15s. Increase Instagram followers by 11%.

Over 700,000 contacts were reached through pro bono influencers.