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Inspired by the age-old saying, 'You'll get square eyes,' the 'Square Eyed Boy' spot introduces viewers to a young boy whose eyes have seemingly transformed into square shapes due to his use of screens. Through a captivating narrative and use of stop motion animation, the film tackles the judgments surrounding screen usage, depicting the boy and his family as objects of scrutiny and dismissal by onlookers. However, the film offers a new perspective; maybe screens don’t give you square eyes, but can actually make you well rounded.

The brief was to increase the perceived value and usefulness of the BBC through our children’s services, targeting young families who don’t feel the BBC is for them. Recognising the scale of the conversation around children and screens, we saw an opportunity to go beyond an advertising campaign, and build on our values as a public service, delivering a message to parents reaching for reassurance.

Taking the age-old stigma of TV’s causing square eyes, we created a film to flip the narrative around screen time. The ‘Square Eyed Boy’ reassures parents that when screens are used well, they can be a very powerful tool. When paired with quality content, screens can actually benefit children in many ways such as learning, discovering, widening perspective, and encouraging outdoor activities.