If you’re under 18, 5Rights is for you

5Rights is about giving you the power to control things when you are online or playing games. Whether its knowing exactly what you’ve signed yourself up to when you tick the box agreeing those ridiculously long Ts & Cs that nobody reads, or being able to really easily remove any picture, posting or whatever else you put online, 5Rights is about giving you the power.

5Rights isn’t just about young people. It’s by young people, for young people, too. Starting with groups aged 11 – 14 from the Girlguiding UK and in several schools in North London, here’s how young people themselves talk about what they think, feel and demand from the digital world – in their own words.

We’re the generation who won’t remember what life was like before the invention of the internet.

It’s true that the internet creates many positive opportunities. We can express our personality online, be creative, experiment.

It’s also true that the internet opens the door to a negative things. Online bullying is a growing issue. Stumbling upon [inappropriate content] can be a daily and upsetting occurrence.

The signatories have agreed to be advocates for a better digital world… young people ourselves will support this first step toward a better net for young people.

1. Sometimes I regret what I post online and wish there was some easy way to make it disappear

“What we post online is permanent.”

“If we put some immature content online, it could affect our ability to find jobs.”

“Sometimes people don’t think before they act and they can be mean to someone without knowing and wish to take it down later.”

2. We should know who is holding and profiting from our information

“We are being taught that our personal information has little or no value.”

“I never knew that my information is used by other people, I didn’t realise how important it is to advertising companies.”

“If I knew who was looking at or using my data I would be more responsible and think more about my online actions.”

“Terms and conditions aimed at us should be easy for us to understand.”

3.There is too much emphasis on what’s illegal and not enough about what is unpleasant or distressing

“There is no one place that deals with all internet problems for young people.”

“I think they should filter known inappropriate websites or at least put up bigger warning signs to prevent us from being exposed to potentially harmful adult content.”

“Why not help us explore?”

‘The Internet can be instant and so access to support and guidance need to be [there] as quickly.’

4.Unless we understand the technologies we use daily we can’t control how they make us behave

“It’s hard to log off of some games and social networking sites! They suck you in.”

“There’s nowhere to tell me how long I should be using the internet for. I think games can be very addictive.”

“It’s asking too much to expect us, without support, to behave in ways that challenge the design of sophisticated technologies?”

“Parent and school controls often make snap judgements based mainly on prohibited words, stupidly denying [us] access.”

5.We need to be taught the skills to use digital technologies effectively

“We are not being taught how to use the internet to its full capabilities.”

“Most young people only really know how to use simple social media sites and don’t really branch out into web or app design.”

“We should have the right to learn how to be digital ‘makers.’”

“The is a risk of a widening gap between the potential of technology and the reality of our ability to use and understand it.”