inDrive, a global mobility and delivery platform, has launched a social initiative to encourage parents to pay closer attention to their children’s emotional well-being and create space for open conversations.
School bullying remains one of the most widespread, and at the same time one of the least visible, issues affecting teenagers worldwide.
According to UNICEF, millions of children regularly experience bullying, yet many never speak about it to adults.
The project is based on inDrive’s “Cancel the School Trip” campaign, first launched in Kazakhstan in April 2026 where around 17% of Kazakhstani teenagers aged 11 to 15 experience bullying at least once a month.
Encouraged by the significant public interest in the project, inDrive intends to roll out the initiative across other markets within its global presence, including Nigeria. In Nigeria, around 32% of Nigerian adolescents aged 12–17 experience in-person bullying, according to UNESCO report.
As part of the campaign, users taking morning rides to school received a push notification asking whether they wanted to cancel the trip after the ride had already started.
The message appeared to be an app error, but in reality, it served as a communication trigger, a way to pull parents out of their daily routine and redirect their attention to their child’s emotional state.
The creators of the project emphasise that the initiative is not about literally refusing to go to school. Its main goal is to encourage parents to reflect and start conversations with their children, helping them notice warning signs early and provide support when needed.
“We need to talk to children more often. Not just ask ‘How are you?’, but genuinely notice their emotional state, mood, and changes in behaviour. Sometimes, even a short conversation can help identify a problem a child may be afraid to talk about,” says Timothy Oladimeji, country lead, inDrive Nigeria.
The symbol of the campaign became the back seat of a car, a space where parent and child are alone together and can talk without distractions.
The organisers believe there is not always a need to create entirely new communication rituals; sometimes, it is enough to pay more attention to moments that already exist in everyday life. Even a few minutes of conversation on the way to school can help a child feel heard and safe enough to share their concerns.
In addition to digital tools, installations shaped like car seats were placed across Almaty in shopping malls and at busy city intersections. As part of the initiative, an online platform with practical recommendations for parents was also developed together with child psychologists.
The platform includes materials on recognising signs of bullying, starting difficult conversations with children, and supporting them in challenging situations.
The campaign was followed by a roundtable discussion in Kazakhstan that brought together psychologists, parents, influencers, and representatives of the creative industry. Participants discussed why bullying often remains hidden, how teenage aggression is evolving and which communication approaches help build trust between adults and children.
A separate part of the discussion focused on how to talk to children about difficult emotions and experiences. According to psychologist Kseniya Lych, standard questions are often ineffective because children answer them automatically. Instead, prompts involving imagination and open-ended thinking tend to reduce tension and encourage dialogue.
The initiative received strong public attention and positive feedback from parents, psychologists and the professional community. As a result, inDrive is already planning to expand the campaign to other markets where it operates, adapting it to each country’s local context.
“We see that bullying is an equally painful issue across different countries and cultures. That is why we want to develop this initiative internationally and launch similar projects in other inDrive markets. For us, it is important not only to raise awareness about the problem, but also to help parents pay closer attention to their children’s emotional well-being and start conversations in time,” says Yevgeniy Gavrilchenko, co-author of the idea and Creative Lead at inLab by inDrive.
The inDrive project leads to a simple yet essential conclusion: the fight against bullying does not begin with loud statements or one-off initiatives, but with everyday attention within the family. That is why the Cancel the School Trip? campaign serves as a reminder of something fundamental: it is important not only to listen to children, but to truly hear them, and not miss the moment when they need support.
