Shot on location in Glasgow, EE's 'First Day' ad sets Olive's 1997 You're Not Alone over a scene of a parent handing a child a smartphone on the first day of school, using a spinning world to represent parental anxieties. A series of imagined school-day scenarios shows children laughing, chatting, taking photos, alongside moments of sadness, isolation and uncertainty that mirror parental conflict between connection and protection. The story returns to the handover with EE's Safer Sim, showing calmer children confidently exploring their world. A survey of 2,000 UK parents found 52% feel equipped to manage smartphone use while 43% plan to buy a handset; kids' top fears include being scammed (51%) and bullied (50%).
Shot on location in Glasgow, EE's latest ad campaign from Saatchi & Saatchi, 'First Day,' is a rallying cry to parents navigating the digital world with their children. Set to Olive's 1997 hit You're Not Alone, the ad opens on the first day of school, capturing the pivotal moment a parent hands their child a smartphone for the very first time.
What follows is a series of imagined scenarios unfolding throughout the school day: children laughing in the playground, chatting in bathrooms, snapping photos together, but also moments of sadness, isolation and uncertainty. These glimpses mirror the parents' inner conflict: the hope that their child will benefit from being connected and the instinct to protect them from its potential harms. The story then circles back to that same moment of handover, this time with EE's Safer Sim.
Before the creative direction for the ad was set, EE's brand and demand generation director, Kelly Engstrom and her team surveyed 2,000 parents in the UK, uncovering their concerns about giving their children access to phones. The stats showed that just over half (52%) feel equipped to manage their child's smartphone and social media use, despite 43% planning to buy them a handset this August.
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