New campaign warns kids can learn to pick up knives younger than you think
Revealing new campaign from TBWA\MCR and Simmply Active urges parents to recognise the warning signs before it’s too late
3rd August 2026 – Manchester: TBWA\MCR and children's Community Interest Company (CIC) Simmply Active have partnered on a powerful national awareness campaign challenging one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding knife crime, that children are only exposed to knife carrying in their teenage years.
The campaign warns that children can begin carrying knives far younger than most parents realise, calling for earlier conversations and earlier intervention.
Under the stark headline ‘KIDS CAN LEARN TO PICK UP KNIVES YOUNGER THAN YOU THINK’, the campaign features three striking out-of-home executions, photographed by Lol Keegan, showing familiar childhood toys, a teddy bear, a doll and a rubber duck, scarred with injuries reflecting knife wounds.
The unsettling creative is designed to confront an uncomfortable reality. While knife crime is most visible among teenagers, professionals working with children are increasingly seeing knife carrying emerge at much younger ages. Among under-10s, it is often a safeguarding issue rather than criminality, influenced by content, gaming, social media and older peers.
Rather than simply highlighting the problem, the campaign positions Simmply Active as part of the solution.
Founded by former teacher David Simmons, the community organisation gives children positive alternatives through sport, mentoring and trusted adult relationships. It helps young people build confidence, resilience and a sense of belonging before they are drawn towards harmful influences.
Simmply Active was established following a life-changing experience for Simmons in 2017, when he was working in a primary school and a six-year-old child came into the playground carrying a knife, waving it around and threatening to stab him. The incident exposed a reality that many people struggle to believe: children can become exposed to knives at an age far younger than public perception suggests.
At its core, the campaign positions Simmply Active as part of the solution, offering children a safer, more constructive alternative and a chance to choose a different path.
The campaign will appear throughout August across donated digital Out of Home sites from Bauer Media Outdoor, including the UK’s largest DOOH network Adshel Live, alongside a mobile digital advertising van operating across London through Mobile Media.
The campaign aims to spark conversations in homes, schools and communities, encouraging parents and carers to recognise that the earliest warning signs may not look the way they expect.
By reframing knife carrying as an issue of prevention rather than punishment, TBWA\MCR and Simmply Active hope to encourage earlier support, and ultimately stop children from picking up knives in the first place.
David Simmons, Founder and Director of Simmply Active, said:
"Most people associate knife carrying with teenagers, but our experience shows that some children are being exposed to these influences much earlier. This campaign is about encouraging awareness and starting conversations before problems escalate. If parents feel more informed and more confident about spotting concerns early, we've achieved what we set out to do."
Gary Fawcett, Executive Creative Director at TBWA\MCR, added:
"We knew this campaign had to be impossible to ignore because the issue itself is often overlooked. The toy imagery creates an immediate emotional reaction while making clear that this is about very young children, not just teenagers. Our aim was to help Simmply Active bring this safeguarding concern into the public eye and encourage earlier awareness among parents and carers."
-ENDS-
For more information, please contact tbwamcr@pumpkin.uk.com
About Simmply Active
Founded in 2026 by former teacher David Simmons, Simmply Active is a community-focused wellbeing initiative on a mission to make fitness and healthier lifestyles more accessible for everyone. Combining affordable community gyms, a free rewards-based movement app and local wellbeing initiatives, Simmply Active works with schools, councils, businesses and community organisations to encourage long-term healthier habits through movement, positive engagement and accessible fitness. Alongside its community programmes, Simmply Active also leads campaigns designed to tackle wider social issues and create stronger, healthier communities.
About TBWA\MCR
TBWA\MCR is an affiliate within the TBWA\Worldwide global collective. Clients include David Lloyd Clubs, Merlin Entertainments Group (Alton Towers Resort, Thorpe Park, Gardaland Italy, Heide Park Germany), Appreciate Group (Love2shop and Park Savings), Soreen, Goodfella’s, Aunt Bessies, LEGOLAND Resorts, BPP University, Cotton Traders, bp, Toolstation, and Sofology.
About TBWA\Worldwide
TBWA is The Disruption® Company. We use creativity to help businesses challenge the status quo and capture an unfair share of the future. Named one of the World's Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company in 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020 and 2019, Adweek's 2022, 2021 and 2018 Global Agency of the Year and AdAge’s A-List 2022 Network of the Year. We are a disruptive brand experience company that uses trademarked Disruption® methodologies to help businesses address their challenges and achieve transformative growth. Our collective has 11,000+ creative minds in over 40 countries, and also includes brands such as Auditoire, Digital Arts Network (DAN), eg+ worldwide, GMR, The Integer Group®, TBWA\Media Arts Lab, TBWA\WorldHealth and TRO. Global clients include Adidas, Apple, Gatorade, Henkel, Hilton Hotels, McDonald's, Nissan and Singapore Airlines. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. TBWA is part of Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC).
CREDITS
Date - August 2026
Title/Project -Toys
Brief - Create a PR campaign co-ordinated with client/ media PR people
Agency - TBWA\MCR
Agency contact - Gary Fawcett
Agency contact job title - ECD
Client name - David Simmons
Client job title - Founder/Director
Copywriter - Lisa Nichols
Art director - Gary Fawcett
Designer* - Dan Coitino/ Mark Roberts/ Phill Buckland
Photographer** - Lol Keegan
Media agency - Bauer Media, Mobile Media
Media planner - Glyn Palmer, Ben Smith
Exposure (media channels) - OOH, Mobile/advan