Client: Kidsafe is a nationally based charitable, non-government organisation dedicated to child safety. Kidsafe works proactively around Australia with parents, communities, and governments to minimise the burden of childhood injury on our health systems by increasing awareness, providing child safety education, advocacy, and reviewing the causes and prevention of childhood injuries.

Challenge: How can social media augmented reality advertisements be effectively utilized to engage parents and educate children about essential road safety messages?

Goals

• To actively involve parents in their children's road safety education
• To deliver essential road safety knowledge to children aged 6-9 by employing gamification and enjoyable experiences
• To encourage discussions within families regarding safe road behaviours

Solution: In this project, we created four distinct augmented reality learning experiences. Here are the AR experiences:

• The first experience featured an AR game where children tilted their heads to guide a virtual character across a pedestrian pathway, collecting virtual items and learning about green lights and zebra crossings. An introductory narration taught children the principles of road crossing and safety considerations when near roads or driveways.

• The second experience offered an AR quiz where children saw themselves on the screen and selected safe locations to cross the road by tilting their heads. Various images presented different scenarios for safe crossing or avoiding crossing. Correct answers led to the opportunity to take a creative selfie, celebrating their success in answering all questions correctly. If they answered any questions incorrectly, they were encouraged to retry.

• The third experience integrated an AR effect with an educational song about "stop, look, listen, and think." Children enjoyed Emily Who's delightful song while engaging with the augmented reality elements. A playful 3D character was also introduced, encouraging users to mimic its actions to practice "stop, look, listen, and think."

• Finally, an AR selfie experience allowed children to use their pictures on bus advertisements promoting various road safety topics. Educational captions accompanied the images, and a narrator voiced the content. Children were encouraged to explore multiple bus ads, capture and share selfies, reinforcing their learning, and extending the project's outreach.