Predators don’t knock on the front door; they slide into a DM. For teen boys in BC, the threat of sextortion is real, rising, and largely invisible to those most at risk. While girls are generally aware of online predatory dangers, most boys dismiss sextortion, making them uniquely vulnerable to blackmail, financial extortion, and serious emotional harm.
Will developed a campaign for Children of the Street, a non-profit dedicated to preventing sexual exploitation of children and youth, that set out to change that.
Here’s a summary of the award-winning campaign that made sextortion impossible to ignore.
The Objectives
When Children of the Street needed to confront a dangerous misperception, Will identified a clear opportunity. Teen boys are the group most affected by sextortion and the least likely to recognize the risk. The campaign was built around three goals: make sextortion impossible to ignore, disrupt risky behaviour, and connect boys to support resources, all without making the campaign feel like a lecture from an adult.
The Strategy
Rather than defaulting to traditional PSA messaging, Will let boys’ voices lead the way. A focus group uncovered that boys didn’t see sextortion as a threat and considered sending explicit images largely harmless. The turning point came when boys began listing everyday “places you’d never put it” — a cheesegrater, a beehive, a mousetrap –
which led to the campaign’s central insight: a DM is the most dangerous place of all. This reframed an abstract online risk into something immediate and impossible to dismiss.
The Process
With the insight locked in, the creative team developed a tone that was bold, disarming, and unmistakably teen-authored: direct, funny, and a little uncomfortable on purpose. Social videos were cut to a fast-paced, quirky soundtrack and ended with a phone reveal, while posters carried the headline “Don’t put your d*ck here” alongside various dangerous scenarios. The campaign ran for seven weeks across TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, complemented by wild postings near schools and community centres, with everything driving back to a dedicated Children of the Street landing page.
The Content
By placing teen-sourced “never here” objects alongside a final reveal of a phone, the creative made the risk feel personal and unforgettable. Speaking directly in the language boys use with each other, the campaign turned a dry public safety warning into a visceral wake-up call: one that felt native to their world rather than imposed on it. Every piece of content worked toward the same goal: making boys think twice before hitting “send.”
The Result
The campaign generated 6.8 million impressions, a 3.4× higher click-through rate than the non-profit average, and a 565% increase in web traffic to Children of the Street’s support resources. It was also selected for preservation in British Columbia’s Gay and Lesbian Archives, recognizing its cultural significance in tackling an urgent issue for teen boys. The lasting impact of the campaign earned Will the Social Impact Award from BCAMA, a reflection of what’s possible when creative courage meets a cause that truly matters.
