The First Ever Smartphone Social Contract
For many parents, giving their child a first smartphone has become one of the most challenging moments of modern parenting. As the new school year approaches, millions of families across the UK find themselves debating rules around screen time, social media and online safety.
EE set out to tackle that moment head on, launching a Phone Use Contract designed to help families set clear boundaries before the school term begins. BF Media helped turn the initiative into a national conversation.
As excitement built ahead of the Women’s Euros, EE wanted to explore a bigger question around the role football plays in young women’s lives. Not just on the pitch, but in helping teenage girls navigate the pressures of the online world.
Supporting Pitch Marketing Group, BF Media took the campaign from start to finish. We led the research, shaped the story, and delivered it to national broadcasters at the moment interest in women’s football was peaking.
The result
Pieces of coverage
Highlights including Sky News, LBC, Times Radio, BBC London and GB News
Audience reach
The Idea: A Contract for the Digital Age
New research revealed the scale of the challenge facing parents.
- 3.8 million households are expected to hand over a first smartphone to their child this school year
- 93% of parents say they regularly argue with their children about phone use
- Over half of parents now support a national curfew for under 16s
The campaign reframed the issue from conflict to conversation. Rather than dictating rules, the EE Phone Use Contract encourages families to agree boundaries together before problems arise.
Voices From Both Sides of the Debate
To bring the story to life, the campaign featured voices from both parents and teenagers.
Konnie Huq
TV presenter, screenwriter and mother of two teenagers who became the first UK parent to sign the Phone Use Contract with her son. Having co written an episode of Black Mirror exploring the darker side of technology, she brought both personal and cultural context to the discussion.
Belicia and Michael
Members of EE’s Youth Council who shared the perspective of teenagers navigating smartphone use, helping bridge the understanding gap between parents and young people.
Together they created a balanced conversation around how families can approach technology more constructively.
Landing the Conversation Before the School Bell
The story was timed to land just weeks before the new academic year, when families across the country are preparing for the transition to secondary school and the first smartphone debate often begins.
Alongside the contract, EE introduced a wider support system including downloadable agreements, age appropriate smartphone plans, safety consultations and in store guidance across more than 400 EE locations.
The campaign helped position EE as a practical partner for families navigating the realities of raising children in a digital world.
