In an effort to combat both online and offline bullying, the Ad Council has released ‘Because of You,’ a new Bullying Prevention message aimed at heightening self-awareness and reflection among teens. The new work encourages teens to consider the impact of their actions to create a more empathetic, inclusive culture.

The creative shows teens sharing honest stories about how their peer’s words and actions, good and bad, impacted them.  

In the online social experiment video, ‘Honest Yearbook,’ the backdrop of a real high school yearbook photoshoot is used to capture the spontaneous reactions of teens who were surprised with testimonial videos from peers. The resulting film reveals a narrative of compassion, appreciation, and surprise, demonstrating that even the smallest gestures can have profound effects as friends and peers state how others have helped change their lives and make things better.

In an accompanying ‘Because of You’ PSA, teens share real statements about the impact their peers had on their lives. It starts showing the dark side of bullying, then switches tone to show that even the smallest positive gesture can help teens get through tough times.