Bedtime stories go the distance with Telekom

Reading bedtime stories to your kids is one of the best bits of being a parent. But what happens when you're not there to physically turn the pages?

It’s a sad reality that thousands of Romanian children are left in the care of relatives when financial pressures force their parents to seek work abroad, with a UNICEF study finding that these children experience emotional trauma as a result. 

According to the American Academy of Paediatrics, reading stories to children aids them with their emotional development, but if a parent is away from their child, it’s impossible to read to them. So, Telekom teamed up with Leo Burnett Bucharest to develop Storytime, an interactive reading app, which enables parents to recreate the magic of storybooks when they are away from home. 

With the app - which is available in Romanian and English versions and free to download on the App store and on Google Play in Romania, Spain, Italy, France, Germany and the UK - parents can choose from a selection of classic children’s stories and when they read out the story on their screen, their child can watch animations of the characters simultaneously. Special filters also allow mums and dads to turn themselves into characters from the stories.

"Whatever the reason the parents have to be away from their child, most kids do not have the ability to easily cope with being separated from their parents," says CCO Ali Bati. "And the bond between the parent and the child is crucial for the child’s emotional well being. This app will help maintain that connection by enabling precious moments to be shared as if they are in the same room. Even if they are apart."