iRights group wants under-18s to be able to delete their social media past

Internet rights campaigneres in the UK are urging that people should be allowed to delete embarrassing social media posts when they reach adulthood.

The iRights coalition has set out five basic rights which it wants young people to expect online, and they include being able to easily edit or delete content they have created, and to know who is holding and/or profiting from their information.

To further stress the point, iRights also wants children to be protected from illegal or distressing pages; to be digitally literate; and be able to make informed and conscious choices.

The Daily Mail reports that Baroness Beeban Kidron is leading Government plans to adopt proposals inspired by iRight, which will encourage websites to feature ‘delete’ buttons and to introduce expiry dates for data acquired from under-18s.

A report by iRights which was published on Tuesday also identifies out how the Internet can negatively affect young people and teenagers.

According to The Times, the report says “It is essential that there is an easily accessible route for children and young people to resolve disputes or correct misinformation that does not require recourse to the courts.”

Some of the campaign’s backers include Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, highly regarded academics from Oxford University and the London School of Economics, and charities including Children in Need and Unicef.

The push for these rights comes after Mhairi Black, the youngest MP in the British Parliament since the 17th century, was ridiculed for tweets she posted as a child, including one which read ‘maths is sh***’.