Let's get started
Main menu

Childhoods in a Digital World

The rapid growth of technology is creating a world of opportunity and new experiences for children and young people. With great change also comes great challenge and children’s charity Barnardo’s is at the forefront of ensuring children remain safe in this ever changing environment.

close

Video transcript

Audio Visual
Have you stopped to think how fast technology is moving? A thought bubble zooms into shot from far away in a 3D landscape. It reaches the camera where the words inside it can be seem “Have you stopped to think how fast technology is moving?”
And how young and curious minds are developing in our new digital world? The thought bubble is replaced by 5 children facing the camera.
The first days of the digital age saw the birth of Colossus, the electric programmable computer./td> Year on screen: 1943. The modern aesthetic from the previous scene is replaced with a vintage colour palette, abut remains in a 3D landscape. We see a boy dressed in clothing from 1943 in the foreground. Behind him is ‘Colossus’, the first electric programmable computer.
Three decades later up popped Pong, the first computer game to make its way into homes. Year on screen: 1972. The classic ‘Pong’ game plays out on the foreground as a boy dressed in 1970s clothing looks on and enjoys the game.
  Year on screen: 1977. The same boy is transported forward and is now in the foreground looking at the Atari 2600.
  Year on screen: 1981. The same boy is transported forward again, this time looking at an IBM computer.
Ten years later the World Wide Web opened its doors. Year on screen: 1991. The vintage aesthetic from the previous scene is replaced with a retro colour palette to represent the 1990s, again in a 3D landscape. The letters ‘WWW’ zoom into the foreground.
And the sound of the dial-up tone rang out in homes for the first time. Year on screen: 1992. We zoom forward in time and see an old-school modem as we hear the dial-up tone./td>
Next cam SMS. Year on screen: 1993. As we zoom forward again we see the letters ‘SMS’ come into shot in a retro phone font.
And webcams, beaming faces to a global audience. Year on screen: 1994. A new boy dressed in 90s clothes appears, waving at a webcam.
Play time gadgets grew, with the release of Sony’s PlayStation, and MP3 music. Year on screen: 1995. The same boy is transported forward in time where we see him looking at the first PlayStation, followed by an .MP3 file and an early web browser displaying Yahoo.
Making people more connected than ever before, instant messaging tool ICQ arrived, with Hotmail hot on its heels that same year. Year on screen: 1996. The same boy is transported forward in time and is looking at messages sent via ICQ, as Hotmail emails, represented by envelopes animate above his head from on side of the scene to the other.
WiFi was unleashed as the world’s wireless internet tool. Year on screen: 1997. The boy disappears out of shout and the WiFi logo and icon comes into shot.
A year later Apple’s iMac burst onto the scene. Year on screen: 1998. We zoom forward in time again to see the first Apple iMac.
And mobile phones made their way into hands everywhere. Year on screen: 1999. As we zoom forward again we see multiple Nokia phones and hear their old-school ring-tones.
Along with Apple’s newly released iPod, Year on screen: 2001. The 90s boy pops up again, wearing classic Apple earphones plugged into an iPod.
You could find answers to almost every question with the help of Wikipedia. The boy turns away from his iPod to look at Wikipedia on a web browser.
And the newly launched Google search engine. The boy moves out of shot and is replaced by an early web browser displaying Google.
The new virtual world was evolving, and social media soon arrived to make connection even easier. 6 avatars representing people on social media animate into shot, each with a line connecting them together.
First there was MySpace, then Skype, Year on screen: 2003. We see a retro browser-based representation of MySpace and Skype.
then Facebook, Year on screen: 2004. We see a retro browser-based representation of Facebook.
then Youtube. Year on screen: 2005 We see a retro browser-based representation of Youtube.
The next 10 years were filled with more gadgets, games and apps to keep users happy. The retro aesthetic is replaced with a modern colour palette to represent more recent years, again in a 3D landscape.
Starting with Nintendo’s Wii and the first Tweet, Year on screen: 2006. A new boy appears in modern clothes with a modern hair cut. A Nintendo Wii appears to the right of him as he looks at it and smiles with excitement. He looks to his left to see the first Tweet made by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, which reads “just setting up my twttr” on March 21st 2006 at 9:50pm.
The first iPhone, Kindle, Year on screen: 2007. The boy moves forward in time and the Wii and Tweet zoom into the background as an iPhone appears to the right of him and a Kindle to the left.
Netflix, 4G Year on screen: 2008. We move forward in time again and the boy move downwards out of shot to be replaced by the Netflix and 4G logos.
WhatsApp, 3d Printers. Year on screen: 2009. We move forward in time again to see a WhatsApp conversion taking place about a 3D printer. First person: “I’m making my own game!”, Second person: “Cool! How?”, First person “On the 3D printer at school!” (as they share a photo of the 3D printer).
The iPad, Instagram Filters, Spotify in your ears and Apple FaceTime in the palm of your hand. Year on screen: 2010. This time as we move forward in time the boy appears again from the bottom of the screen, and catches sight of an iPad with Instagram posts popping out of the screen. The Spotify logo whooshes into shot as headphones drop onto the bis ears and he closes his eyes nods his head in time to the beat. An iPhone appears to his left and rings, he opens his eyes and answers the FaceTime call from one of his friends.
The world couldn’t get enough, with more people accessing information by Smartphones than desktops. With 1 billion views on YouTube each day, 10 billion views on Snapchat, people sharing stories on Instagram, and Facebook giving friends new reactions to play with. Year on screen: 2016. We move forward in time again and this time the boy remains in the background. A laptop computer appears which is quickly replaced by 2 Smartphones. The boy moves into the foreground as the phones separate and move to either side of him. He looks to the phone iPhone to his right pumping out YouTube videos, comments, subscribe buttons and view counts. He quickly turns to the Samsung phone to his left which shows a Snapchat picture of a friend using the dog ear lens, followed by another friends location on Snap Map. Again he turns to his right where the iPhone is churning out Instagram stories, posts, likes and comments, and again to his left whereFacebook reactions and bursting out of the Samsung phone. The boy at this point is looking a little overwhelmed.
Then here we are in 2017, in real time, with Facebook Live at more than 32 billion views a day. The land of Minecraft with over 121 million imaginative builders, Snapchat unveiling Snap Map, driverless test cars navigating roads, and virtual reality taking over eyes in a living room near you. Year on screen: 2017. The last jump forward in time is represented by the boy moving up above the 3D plane. The Facebook live notification appears above his head indicating that the boy is creating a live video of him playing with a Fidget Spinner. The eye icon has a number 12 next to it, showing that there are 12 viewer watching his live stream. Facebook reaction pop across the screen and the boy smiles. The live stream ands and multiple Minecraft figures appears around and behind the boy. They disappear as multiple friends locations from Snapchat’s Snap Map appear around his head. In the background a driverless cars drives past. Lastly a virtual reality head set drops on to his head. The boy looks around and his mouth opens in amazement.
Technology is getting quicker and smarter every second. We’re asking government to catch up on technology and shape plans to protect children and young people. For what we have today, and what’s to come in the future. The time is now. The boy disappears and the outro screen appears with text as read out by the voiceover, followed by the Bernardo’s logo.

Have you stopped to think how quick technology is moving?

To coincide with the release of their Childhoods in a Digital World white paper, Barnardo’s aired the animation at both the Labour and Conservative 2017 party conferences. The animation called on government and politicians to catch up with technology and shape plans to protect children and young people going forward.

Animation still: 5 young people face the camera. The text reads: “And how young and curious minds are developing in out new digital world?”.
Animation still: A boy in 1943 looking astonished at the very large first computer. The text reads: “The first electric programmable computer”.
Animation still: A boy in 1977 smiles at the Atari 2600. The text reads: “The class of ’77 got their hands on the Atari 2600 joystick”.
Animation still: A boy in 1981 looking at an IBM home computer. The text reads: “Followed by IBM’s home computer launch in 1981”.

A Digital Lifetime

The lead character, a young teenage boy, takes viewers on 74-year long digital journey across the decades – from the days of ‘Pong’ to the release of the Playstation. The message is clear: the time is now to catch up as much as we can and educate children and young people on the benefits and dangers that technology brings.

Animation still: 1991. The text reads: “Ten years later the World Wide Web opened its doors”.
Still from animation. A boy in 1995 surrounded by tech from that era; a Sony Playstation, Yahoo and MP3s.
Animation still: 1999 - we see a bunch of old Nokia phones. The text reads: “And mobile phones made their way into hands everywhere”.
Animation still: A boy in 2001 with an iPod to the left and Wikipedia in a browser to the right. The text reads: “Along with Apple’s newly released iPod. Wikipedia helped answer questions”.
Animation still: A boy in 2006 looks excited with a Nintendo Wii on his left and the very first Tweet on his right. The text reads: “Starting with Nintendo’s Wii and the first Tweet…”
Animation still: 2008, Netflix logo and 4G.
Animation still: A boy in 2010 with headphones on listening to Spotify, with an iPad to his left with social media posts and and message coming from it. The text reads: “The iPad, Instagram filters and Spotify in your ears”.
Animation still: A boy in 2016 with a smart phone on either side, with Instagram stories and posts as well as Facebook reactions popping out of them. The text reads: “People sharing stories on Instagram, and Facebook giving friends new reactions to play with”.
Animation still: A boy in 2017 surrounded by multiple Minecraft characters. The text reads: “The land of Minecraft with over 121 million imaginative builders…”
Animation still: A boy in 2017 looks amazed as he wears a virtual reality headset. The text reads: “And virtual reality taking over eyes in living room near you”.