Your Rights Online: What You Are Entitled To

As a teenager in the UK, you have specific rights when it comes to the internet, your data, and how companies treat you online. Many young people do not know these rights exist. Understanding them gives you power — the power to challenge companies that misuse your data, to request removal of content, and to hold platforms accountable for how they treat young users.

Your data belongs to you

Under UK GDPR and the Children's Code (Age Appropriate Design Code), companies must handle your personal data with extra care if you are under 18. They should collect the minimum data necessary, use the highest privacy settings by default, and not use your data in ways that are detrimental to you. If a company is not doing this, they are breaking the law.

The right to be forgotten

You have the right to ask companies to delete your personal data. This is particularly relevant if you shared something when you were younger that you now regret. Platforms must take these requests seriously, especially when the data was collected when you were a child. You can submit a data deletion request through most platforms' privacy settings or by contacting them directly.

Reporting and removal rights

If content about you is shared without your consent — whether images, personal information, or defamatory statements — you have the right to report it and request removal. Platforms are required to have clear reporting mechanisms and to act promptly. For intimate images shared without consent, the Revenge Porn Helpline can assist. For defamatory content, you may have legal recourse.

How to exercise your rights

Start by checking the privacy settings and 'my data' sections of every platform you use. Most have options to download your data, request deletion, and manage permissions. If a platform does not respond to your requests, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk. Knowing your rights is the first step — using them is the second.