If you bend the rules people will die

[Miarara]

How is this an advert played on the radio all day???!!!

I'm really concerned about the messages kids are hearing about covid and the long term affect this is going to have on their mental health.

I already have a friend who's 5 year old is showing OCD behaviours - thinks a fork must be washed if it touches the table, wants to wash her hands again if she's touched the table, won't eat food if it's touched her hair, parents fork etc.

The strength of the government messages I think is so inappropriate at times. You don't have the option of shielding kids from it, my friend said this behaviour started when she went back to school after 1st lockdown as they were constantly told about things needing to be clean. I've been listening to smooth fm this afternoon, I don't normally listen to the radio, every 20 minutes a government advert about the covid rules that ends in. If you bend the rules people will die this is allday. Being drummed into people with health anxiety and to kids. Surely this messaging could be really damaging to vulnerable people and is irresponsible. Telling 5 year olds if someone bends the rules people will die seems really inappropriate.

Telling 5 year olds if someone bends the rules people will die seems really inappropriate.

Smooth FM isn't aimed at 5 year olds though.

If the adverts are distressing, it's the parents responsibility to turn it off.

I switch the station as soon as the adverts come on or turn it off. Too many covid messages and don't want them to hear it. I turn the news off as well.

Also bending the rules eg travelling further than you perhaps should to go for a walk doesn't make people die. Breaking them altogether eg having friends in your house, might.

Sounds like a stupid advert.

Surely you don’t have the radio on or the news if children are around given their will be covid related items. It’s not hard to shield young children from the media.

I think it's a good strong message and should have been said earlier. Especially around Christmas as so many bent the rules and in the midst of this second wave.

But I'm sorry it's distressing your child. Maybe better to stick to CDs or something?

I work in the school nursing service and we have had a massive influx of referrals for similar behaviours/huge decline in emotional health. I really feel for children - they have been/are really going through the wringer.

I walked into Asda the other day and on their massive billboard which is usually flogging beans there was a poster that said

STAY AT HOME
YOU WILL SPREAD THE DISEASE
PEOPLE WILL DIE.

With a big hell-like picture of fire and burning.

They've really lost the plot.

I agree. It is absolutely vile

I cannot believe a virus has a budget for an advertising campaign designed to terrify people

I turn the channel over or mute. I’m following the rules and staying home so I’m not murdering anybody.

Yanbu op. That Asda billboard sounds insane!

A lot of very anxious people read the 'people will die' stuff and their mental health plummets. My friend was too terrified to take her 2 year old son to even the most remote places for well over 6 months.

I generally do but I had smooth on alexa just in the background, it's just so hard to avoid, avoid the news and do flick the adverts in the car. I was just listening as background music today and it was so frequent it just felt excessive live @Burpeesshmurpees said its impossible to avoid. The people breaking the rules aren't going to change because of an advert but those who are anxious or vulnerable are just having fears constantly reinforced. Smooth is supposed to be relaxing 😂

Its really worrying how many have mentioned kids showing these behaviours, the long term implications are going to be huge from them. I just really think the message wording should consider time of day like a watershed. Telling kids over and over again if you do this people will die is damaging. Like Boris and all the headlines at Christmas about if you hug grandma she will die (and thats all your fault implication) is far too much for children.

Messages keep on popping up on Facebook & Instagram, I keep on marking them as not relevant. Our local newspaper has 3 pages a night taken up with Covid messages, that's without all the ones with reports about how wonderful GP practices are doing with the jabs & pictures of people with sad faces & oxygen masks on. It's getting a bit boring now.

My 1st sentence doesn't make sense, I meant i generally do skip/avoid the adverts

It’s up to us parents to shield our children from it.

I never have the news on or watch any press conferences, I just read up on what’s happening once dd is in bed.

I don’t listen to live music either because again I want to avoid any new or adverts.

Dd is 11 and isn’t allowed to use the internet without me being there either.

Obviously she might hear bits from her friends but because she has been shielded from most of it she quickly brushes it off.

@Miarara I agree and it's not just mentally damaging but it can be physical sometimes too. If children are surrounded by things that are only thoroughly clean for most of the time then that affects the development of their immune system.

This fucking well pisses me right off. I got (and probably spread) COVID and I never broke any rules

Shouting “fuck off” at the adverts is therapeutic!

It’s the parents responsibility to turn over the station surely?

@BonnieDundee

This fucking well pisses me right off. I got (and probably spread) COVID and I never broke any rules

I totally agree. I got covid and the only place I’d been was the supermarket. I wore a mask, maintained social distancing etc

I haven't seen or heard any of these adverts. So they can't be "everywhere".

DD (who doesn't really see anyone outside our house) struggled with mixing with other people after the first lockdown as she'd obviously absorbed all the social distancing/stay at home/protect the nhs messaging. It took her maybe a week to get over it, so I doubt that children are likely to be long term affected once things start going back to normal.

My DD (nearly 3) has started saying that she's "not allowed to play with the other girls (children) at the park". This has definitely not come from me or her dad. She has a very introvert personality and needs a little encouragement in these situations anyway, so this is the last thing she needs to be thinking.

It's so very sad seeing her childhood being screwed up and being powerless to stop it.

@WorraLiberty

Telling 5 year olds if someone bends the rules people will die seems really inappropriate.

Smooth FM isn't aimed at 5 year olds though.

If the adverts are distressing, it's the parents responsibility to turn it off.

This