Home Alone Online

This two-episode documentary reveals shocking evidence of how harmful content is part of the everyday online lives of children and teens in Denmark. Based on interviews with fifty Danish children and teens aged 12-18, it reveals how frequent encounters with harmful online content, including ultra violence, self-harm, and explicit imagery may create anxiety, depression and worse. The programme details how children easily access platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, how algorithms escalate the distribution of harmful content, how parents and teachers are completely oblivious and disconnected from the online lives of children. Published on DR’s main channel and streaming platform it was accompanied by an unprecedented cross-platform campaign sparking not only national awareness, but also political reform. The impact extended far beyond its broadcast. It sparked a nationwide debate, placing the harmful effects of social media on children on the political agenda. Most notably, the Danish Prime Minister herself took an active role in addressing the issue, calling for stronger measures to protect children. The documentary has thus become a catalyst for both public awareness and political action.