The Times and Unruly have worked with the NSPCC to launch a video campaign to help parents tackle the subject of terrorism with their children.

Following the recent Paris attacks the NSPCC’s ChildLine service saw a steep increase in calls from children concerned about terrorism (372 counselling sessions to date).

Following a report in The Times about this increase in counselling sessions, the paper worked with the NSPCC to develop a Gogglebox-style film with tips on how parents can discuss any worries that young children might have about their religion and terrorist threats. It features footage from Sky News’ coverage of the Paris attacks alongside children’s reactions, concerns and interactions with parents as they watch it.

This is the first time The Times’ editorial content will be distributed using Unrulys distribution platform, Unruly Activate.

Unruly deployed a mix of their video formats, including in-page and in-article, aiming to reach the widest audience possible across a number of influential blogs and websites. It will be targeted specifically at parents, particularly mums, and those with a political interest. The campaign is coordinated to launch across paid, owned and earned media.

The two-minute video, produced and directed by Don’t Panic with help from Unruly, went live on Sunday.

Chris Duncan, News UK’s Chief Customer Officer,  commented, “This campaign is a prime example of the innovative and creative solutions that News UK develops to bring a clear message to an engaged audience. Working closely with Unruly for the first time on editorial content for The Times is exciting and a sign of the ongoing digital transformation of News UK as a whole. The resulting NSPCC video is a strong and important piece of content that will educate and help parents discuss and allay children’s fears in a time when terrorism is a widely mentioned subject.”

Peter Wanless, NSPCC Chief Executive explained, “The response from children to the recent terrorist attacks made clear that they needed to talk about their feelings, ask questions, and needed reassurance. I hope that this Times and Unruly video campaign in partnership with the NSPCC will help more parents talk to their children about this worrying issue and provide them with some much needed support.”

Unruly co-founder Sarah Wood added, “I was saddened, but not surprised to hear that calls to the NSPCC from frightened children had risen in the wake of the Paris attacks. Unruly is very pleased to be able to help with this important campaign – it’s an excellent example of social video being used for social good.

“As a parent myself, I know how difficult it was to speak about the Paris attacks with my own children, and any tips which help parents talk about such a sensitive subject are extremely welcome. This video is a really valuable resource for parents looking for reassurance on how to speak to their children about the terrorist threat we face.”

You can watch the whole video here.