New Zealand seems to be one of the most progressive countries in the world at the moment.

First, they elected a young, unmarried, pregnant woman – Jacinda Ardern – as Prime Minister, because she was the best person for the job.

Name one other country that would do that. Didn’t think so.

Ardern has gone on to create policies that limit gun violence, propose a four-day workweek, and most recently guided the country through the pandemic, coming out COVID-19 free on the other side.

Now that the coronavirus is under control, the government has released a series of adverts tackling internet safety.

Per The Guardian:

The sudden appearance of a smiling but nude Sue and Derek has become something of a sensation as part on an unusual series of TV ads by the New Zealand government about internet safety for young people.

In the latest video for the Keep It Real Online series, actors pretending to be porn stars tell a woman played by comedian Justine Smith that her son has been watching their clips “on his laptop, iPad, Playstation, his phone, your phone, Smart TV projector”, adding that they don’t talk about consent and “just get straight to it”.

The advert speaks for itself:

I am not, and was never a teenage boy, but I can imagine that if your mom found your porn preferences it would have induced a level of embarrassment that has haunted your nightmares well into adulthood.

The series also goes into grooming by paedophiles and the ease of children’s access to violent content.

Here’s their take on cyberbullying:

The campaign is a response to a report released last year revealing that young New Zealanders use the internet, and more specifically porn, to learn about sex.

“Parents should feel confident when dealing with these issues… at the end of the day, they’re the best person to keep their child safe,” Hilary Ngan Kee, a spokesperson for the advertising agency Motion Sickness, said in a statement. “You don’t need to have all the answers, but supporting your child and giving that ‘adult’ guidance as they navigate the choppy waters of the online world will really make a difference.”

Using humour to encourage engagement with difficult topics is genius.

“Kiwi humour sort of comes from late-night chats round a table, either in the kitchen, pub, or garage,” said comedian James Nokise.

“It’s why we can come across to foreigners as either dry, too casual, or occasionally harsh … we’re small enough that we’ve managed to take the kind of intimate family humour and apply it to the whole country.”

Nah, I think we can all agree that the above adverts are pretty funny.

And, that the topics they’re highlighting are equally important.

That’s another win for Jacinda’s government.

If they don’t elect her again later this year, I’m officially abandoning my faith in humanity.

[source:guardian]