Storybook encourages children to be kind to others online
- Every primary school in the UK will receive a copy of #Goldilocks from Vodafone to help with conversations about the responsible use of social media.
- Updated fairy tale helps educate younger children on how to be kind to others online.
- YouGov research shows nearly half of children are aware of social media by the of age seven, and a third they have used or looked at social media.
Vodafone will deliver a copy of #Goldilocks, a book written to help parents and children talk about social media and how to use it responsibly, to every primary school in the UK.
Over 20,000 copies of the book will be sent to schools as a resource to encourage conversations about the importance of being kind to others when using social media.
The Goldilocks story was reimagined for the digital age by award-winning author Jeanne Willis (Slug Needs A Hug, Tadpole’s Promise and Who’s in the Loo?) and the UK’s number one illustrator, Tony Ross (Horrid Henry, Gangsta Granny and the Little Princess series). It was released in December 2018 to mark the launch of Vodafone’s Digital Parenting website, a go-to-guide for parents on the latest digital safety and wellbeing issues. Based on positive feedback when it offered a free digital version of the book at launch and the recent publication of the Government’s Online Harms White Paper, Vodafone will now ensure that young children all over the UK have access to the book in the classroom or school library.
YouGov research conducted by Vodafone in 2018 showed that many children are both aware of and using social media from a young age. This is often before parents have had conversations with them about how to use social media safely and responsibly. The findings show that 48% of children are aware of social media by the age of seven.
Digital Parenting Magazine was launched in 2012 and almost seven million copies have been distributed across the UK over the past eight years. The seventh edition is available now. For more information visit: www.vodafone.co.uk/digitalparenting.
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Digital Parenting
Digital Parenting is a programme from the Vodafone Foundation (UK registered charity no.1089625). It gives parents the knowledge and tools they need to have important conversations with their children about the digital world so their families can get the most out of and navigate it safely. It has been provided as a printed resource for over six years and is now available online at www.vodafone.co.uk/digitalparenting.
Andersen Press
Andersen Press is a leading independent children’s publisher, and home to some of the biggest names in the world of children’s books, including the much-loved picture book characters Elmer the Patchwork Elephant and the Little Princess. Andersen Press is the publisher of many award-winning authors and illustrators including Melvin Burgess, Rebecca Stead, Susin Nielsen, Julian Clary, David Roberts, Tony Ross, David McKee, and Jeanne Willis. The company was founded in 1976 by Klaus Flugge.
Jeanne Willis
Jeanne Willis is an award-winning children’s author and scriptwriter known for writing about children and technology in her books Chicken Clicking and Troll Stinks! She had her first picture book published by Andersen Press at the age of 21, and since then she has won the Silver Medal Smarties Prize (Tadpole’s Promise), the Nasen Special Needs Award (Susan Laughs), the Sheffield Children’s Book Award (Who’s in The Loo?) and the Red House Children’s Book Award (Bottoms Up). Jeanne has also worked on scripts for TV, including Polly Pocket and The SIow Norris, and a pilot TV series for Dr Xargle. She lives in North London with her husband.
Tony Ross
Tony Ross has been illustrating books for over 40 years, and has been published all over the world. He is perhaps best known for his much-loved Little Princess series, which has been adapted for TV and is currently showing on Channel 5’s Milkshake, and for his collaboration on David Walliams’ best-selling children’s books. Tony’s books have been shortlisted for the The Laugh Out Loud Book Awards (Slug Needs a Hug) and the Kate Greenaway (Dr Xargle’s Book of Earth Tiggers), and Tadpole’s Promise won the Silver Medal Smarties Prize. He has been named as the best-selling illustrator in the UK for three years in a row, and he is the UK’s libraries’ most-borrowed illustrator. He lives in Rutland.
