Our Mission

Our mission is to advocate for every child's right to privacy, dignity and future consent in the digital age.

We believe every child deserves protection during vulnerable medical, emotional and deeply personal moments, both online and offline. No child should have intimate experiences shared publicly without careful consideration of their dignity, wellbeing and long-term digital footprint.

Through awareness, education and legislative change, we aim to create a society where children's rights, safeguarding and humanity are always placed before content, engagement, online attention or profit.

By "future consent", we mean protecting a child's ability to decide for themselves, when they are old enough, what aspects of their childhood should form part of their permanent digital footprint.

Petition Aim

We call on the UK Government to introduce legislation requiring children's privacy, dignity and future consent to be considered before vulnerable or identifiable content about them is shared publicly online and to give young people the legal right to request the removal of content shared during their childhood.

The law should recognise that children have a right to privacy, dignity and autonomy over their developing digital identity and require that their best interests are considered before vulnerable, intimate or deeply personal content is shared publicly online. It should also give young people greater rights to remove or request the removal of content shared about them during childhood once they are old enough to make that decision for themselves.

Why This Matters

Every child deserves the opportunity to grow up without their most vulnerable moments becoming part of a permanent digital record.

Yet, from the moment many children are born, their lives are documented online without their knowledge or consent. Their first photographs, medical conditions, hospital admissions, emotional distress, behavioural challenges, accidents and private family moments are often shared publicly across social media and other digital platforms.

While these posts are frequently made with love and good intentions, the internet never forgets.

Once images, videos, or personal stories are uploaded, they can be copied, downloaded, shared, archived or viewed by complete strangers for years to come. Children generally have little or no meaningful opportunity to consent to this exposure, yet they are often expected to live with the consequences long after the content has been published.

Research shows that many children become aware of their digital footprint from a young age and increasingly express discomfort about information being shared without their permission. As they grow older, content posted during childhood may contribute to embarrassment, bullying, discrimination, identity theft or emotional distress.

We believe current legislation does not adequately protect children from unnecessary public exposure online. While existing laws address data protection and online safety, they do not create a specific legal duty requiring a child's future privacy, dignity and autonomy to be considered before vulnerable or identifiable content about them is shared publicly online.

Children deserve the same respect online that we expect for them offline.

What We Are Asking the UK Government and Parliament to Do

We call on the UK Government and Parliament to introduce legislation (which could be known as the Children's Digital Dignity and Future Consent Act) to better protect children's privacy, dignity and future autonomy online.

• Recognise every child's right to privacy, dignity and future consent online.
• Place a legal duty on parents, organisations, healthcare providers, influencers, media outlets and online platforms to consider a child's best interests before publicly sharing vulnerable or identifiable content about that child online.
• Establish a legal process enabling young people to request the removal of content shared about them during childhood, subject to appropriate exceptions.
• Require social media and digital platforms to provide straightforward tools for removing childhood content and protecting minors
• Produce clear national guidance on sharing children's medical, educational and emotionally vulnerable experiences online.
• Improve education for parents, professionals and content creators about children's digital footprints, safeguarding and future consent.

Why This Matters to Society

An estimated one in three internet users worldwide is a child. Yet today's children are growing up in a world where their digital identity is often created for them before they are old enough to understand what that means.

This is not about preventing parents from sharing cherished family memories.

It is about protecting children from unnecessary public exposure during the most vulnerable moments of their lives. It is about recognising that today's online decisions can affect tomorrow's opportunities, relationships, mental wellbeing and personal dignity.

Children deserve the right to decide for themselves what parts of their childhood become part of their permanent digital footprint.

Protecting children's privacy is not only a legal responsibility, it is a moral one.

Call to Action

By signing this petition, you are supporting a future where children's rights are placed above online engagement, where safeguarding comes before social media attention and where every child has the opportunity to inherit their own digital identity with dignity.

Together, we can help create new legislation that reflects the realities of the digital age and ensures every child is afforded the privacy, respect and protection they deserve.

Protect childhood. Protect dignity. Protect future consent.