We’re delighted to share that Forster’s campaign with public affairs consultancy Inflect for the National Education Union (NEU), ‘Robbed: Big Tech’s Little Victims’, has won PRWeek’s 2026 Social Purpose Campaign Award! It’s a proud moment for us, our partners and our client, and a chance to celebrate and reflect on what we’ve achieved together.
The brief was clear: build public and political support for raising the UK’s social media access age to 16 and protecting children from harmful algorithms.
Our strategy was to shift the debate from children’s screen time to the companies profiting from their attention. Research, teacher testimony and parents’ experiences showed what harmful algorithms meant for children’s lives, making the case for action impossible to ignore.
At the campaign’s heart was The Algorithm Experiment. Researchers monitored fictional 13-year-olds’ social media profiles for 30 minutes a day over seven days. Harmful content appeared within minutes. Filmed reactions from parents and teachers brought the findings to life, while parliamentary briefings put the evidence directly in front of policymakers.
The campaign secured more than 400 pieces of coverage and briefed 37 MPs and peers through sustained media relations, digital content, public affairs and high-impact storytelling. The Algorithm Experiment became Good Morning Britain’s top story and generated 7 million social views.
Most importantly, the campaign helped turn an idea the Government had rejected into a commitment to raise the social media access age to 16 in March 2027.
The PRWeek judges recognised the strength of our approach, saying they “loved that this was a multifaceted campaign, with strong activations targeting multiple audience groups.”
We’re very proud of this result, but the campaign is far from over. Our work with NEU and Inflect continues to ensure the UK’s new social media age restrictions are implemented effectively, with robust age assurance and Big Tech held accountable.
Read PRWeek’s write-up of ‘Robbed: Big Tech’s Little Victims’, winner of its 2026 Social Purpose Campaign Award, to find out more about the campaign and why it won.