Did you know that approximately 5,100 people between 13 to 24 years-old visited the emergency room for injuries related to using their phones while on the move between 2013 and 2022? Or that around 3,200 ER visits for the same demographic during that time period related to fireworks? These are the sorts of things the Consumer Protection Safety Commission (CPSC) wants everyone to know—it’s a huge part of their job, after all. But a couple years ago, CPSC’s social media specialist Joseph Galbo decided to educate the nation about these and other important safety issues through the power of song.

“Goes without saying, but it’s rare for any government messaging to be an overnight success with young people,” he tells Popular Science.

If any consumer protection PSA has resonated with “the Kids” in recent years, it’s largely thanks to Galbo. Since 2016, the federal employee has overseen one of the strangest and most entertaining outreach messaging campaigns in modern US regulatory history. Through a mix of absurdist internet memes, purposefully clunky Photoshop jobs, and a dedicated social media presence, to convey some of the most mundane aspects of everyday existence: child safety locks, recall alerts, and the importance of regularly replacing your smoke detector’s batteries.

“We’ve had a lot of success from our social media strategy over the years, but one of the things you have to look out for when you’re doing something successfully is getting complacent,” says Galbo. “But we think people want to see more than just the obvious from CPSC. We think people want to see innovation, and extra effort, and a willingness to do and try new things.”

Over nine months, Galbo, coworkers, musicians, and the CPSC’s public relations partner channeled all that energy into We’re Safety Now Haven’t We: Volume 1, a five-track EP featuring bass-thundering dancehall, electro-beats, and funk-infused songs about… ATV safety, among other important precautions.

“Helmet… Goggles… Boots… Jacket,” a Daft Punk-esque robotic narrator tells listeners on “Offroad Adventure.”

“Push the limits, feel the thrill / but don’t forget, to keep it real”

Then there’s “Protect Ya Noggin’,” a 2-minute-35-second hip-hop throwback focused on that most common (and unfortunately chronically ignored) subject of helmets. The track was actually the first one commissioned by CPSC, and helped dispel any initial worries that Galbo’s team had bitten off more than they could chew—another important thing to avoid, by the way.

“That was a big moment for everyone because it really convinced us that not only could this idea work, but we had the potential to make some actual bangers,” he said.

Creative, bizarre CPSC projects like We’re Safety Now Haven’t We aren’t a luxury for Galbo’s team– they’re a necessity. The Bureau has never had a mountain of discretionary funds, even before the ongoing, (arguably unlawful) federal budget slash-and-burn devastation.

“We’re a smaller federal agency with a limited budget, we try to invest in creative assets that we know will last,” explains Galbo. “We wanted to create an album that would have broad appeal and not sound immediately dated… songs that sounded current to today, but would also still sound great five or ten years down the road.”

The strategy is paying off already. Because while We’re Safety Now Haven’t We may sound like an early contender for the songs of Summer 2025, it’s not a new release. It’s from back in 2023. But as any good social media team knows, you leverage current cultural touchstones to drive home your message—like the second weekend of California’s massive annual Coachella music festival taking place April 18-20.

“Sometimes kids need a bit to figure out how and when they want to use what you make to have some fun,” says Galbo. “The initial success after we released the album was great, but we’re really looking forward to all the ways we can use this music in the years to come.”

Until then, kids: Protect ya noggin’. Oh, and about that title? When asked about it, Galbo offers a classic CSPC-branded explanation.

“We’re Safety Now Haven’t We is a play on the eternal life-saving benefits of being committed to safety,” he says. “We’re safe now and haven’t we always been?”

 

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