This campaign wants Brits to rethink their ‘digital diet’

The Online Responsibility Network has unveiled a giant London billboard comparing online content to food, launching what it calls the first online safety trust mark for consumers as part of the inaugural Online Responsibility Day on Thursday 24 September.

The idea turns the familiar language of nutrition labels and product safety ratings into a test for our “digital diet”.

The trust mark will identify brands and platforms that have taken steps to improve online trust and safety, giving consumers a visible signal when choosing where to spend time online.

The launch follows research commissioned by the nonprofit which found 80% of Brits support food-style warning labels on websites and apps carrying misinformation, while three quarters back an online safety trust mark.

It is a softer counterpart to the cigarette-style social media warnings used by Mumsnet earlier this year. Both borrow the visual codes of regulated consumer products to make online harms feel more tangible.

The London activation was unveiled by parenting campaigner and former Love Island contestant Camilla Thurlow.

Founding members of the Online Responsibility Network include giffgaff, Save the Children and academic institutions. giffgaff recently turned outdoor media into something more tactile with its huggable King’s Cross poster.

Amanda Manning, Director at the Online Responsibility Network, said: “We check labels on food. We check safety ratings on products. Yet online, we’re often left to work things out for ourselves.”

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