Add a Friend

Add a Friend

"Add a Friend" is a nationwide campaign launched in Poland by Disney Channel and Disney XD along with the Nobody’s Children Foundation. It is aimed at both educating  young people on the harmful effects of online hate, as well as encouraging them to counteract unacceptable behaviours on social media channels.

Disney is actively present on the Internet and it engages its audience in various activities. Online hate is one of the biggest, yet most underrated problems among young people on the Internet. It is an act of online violence, not the only one though.

According to the research carried out by the Nobody’s Children Foundation within the frameworks of EU NET ADB project (Włodarczyk, 2013), 40% of young people in the 14-17 age group encountered online hate speech in a form of either offensive comments or discussions on an Internet forum. Within the 16-17 age group, 45% of teenagers came across online hate.

Through „Add a Friend” campaign Disney addresses both the haters and the online hate victims. TV spot broadcast by Disney Channel tells a story of two nice teenagers taking part in a staged casting. They do not know that the script they are about to read is based on the online discussion they have had...

The TV campaign is supported by school projects, within which young people analyse the behaviour of the TV spot’s characters. A contest with prizes to win is a part of the campaign as well. Contestants have to write lyrics on how to turn a hater into a friend for the song titled #addafriend .

The campaign has been carried out in partnership with the Nobody’s Children Foundation.

More about the campaign