Skip to content
EN

Lesson 10 of 12 · 6 min · +100 XP

What is the right to be forgotten, and what are your rights online?

In the UK and EU, the right to be forgotten lets you ask companies to delete your data, especially things you shared as a child. You can also report photos posted to hurt you, and threats, harassment and sharing intimate images without consent can be crimes. Save evidence, report it and tell a trusted adult.

▶ Try it

Why it matters

The law applies online too, and lots of it is on your side. You learn your key rights, from deleting your data to reporting abuse, and where to go when something goes wrong.

In 6 minutes you'll be able to

  • You can ask for your data to be deleted, and you can report photos posted to hurt you.
  • Save evidence, report, and bring in an adult you trust.
  • Removal tools, reporting services and the police are there for you.

What you'll practise

  1. True or not?

    Flip the cards and check your rights.

    🗑️ "An app can keep my data forever."
    No. Privacy laws such as the UK GDPR let you ask for your data to be deleted, and that right is especially strong for things you shared as a child.
    📸 "If I'm in the photo, anyone can post it."
    Not if it breaks platform rules or your privacy: you can report it. And posting someone's photo to humiliate or harass them can count as harassment.
    🎂 "At 13 I can let any app do anything."
    Many apps start at 13, because privacy laws in the UK and US treat it as the age you can agree to data use yourself. But you can still change settings or withdraw consent any time.
    🚨 "Reporting doesn't do anything."
    Not true. The UK's Online Safety Act makes platforms tackle illegal and harmful content, and in the US the TAKE IT DOWN Act makes them remove intimate images shared without consent within 48 hours of a valid request.

  2. Who can help?

    Find the right button or service for each situation.

    1. Someone has posted an embarrassing photo of Amira without her permission.

      • Report the photo in the app and ask the person to delete it (Answer)
      • Do nothing, or it'll only get worse

    2. Noah has been getting hate messages and threats from several accounts for weeks.

      • Save screenshots, report, and go to the police with a trusted adult (Answer)
      • Delete all the messages so he doesn't have to see them

    3. Josh comes across a site calling for violence against a group of people.

      • Report it in the app and to a national reporting service (Answer)
      • Send the link to the class group so everyone knows

    4. A nude image of an under-18 girl is being sent around without her consent.

      • Don't forward it, tell an adult, use a removal tool like Take It Down (Answer)
      • Save it on your own phone just in case

  3. What you can do

    If the first place doesn't help, don't give up.

    📸 Save evidence
    Screenshots with date, time and profile name. Then report and block. (Never save nude images of under-18s, even as evidence. Tell an adult instead.)
    🔁 Keep going
    Platform, school, parents, support services, police: if one doesn't respond, ask the next.
    🙋 Be taken seriously
    You have a right to be listened to. Wrong is wrong, online too.

Remember

Keep asking until someone helps you.

Wrong is wrong online too. Keep asking until someone helps.

Key facts

  • In the UK, children have the same data rights as adults, including the right to have personal data erased, and they can use these rights themselves once they understand them. · Source: ICO (UK Information Commissioner's Office), Children and the UK GDPR guidance
  • UK law sets 13 as the age at which you can consent to online services using your data. In the US, apps need a parent's permission to collect data from children under 13. · Source: UK GDPR Article 8 and Data Protection Act 2018; US Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
  • The UK's Online Safety Act became law on 26 October 2023. It requires platforms to tackle illegal content and give children a higher standard of protection, with Ofcom as the regulator. · Source: UK Online Safety Act 2023 (legislation.gov.uk)
  • Under the US TAKE IT DOWN Act, signed in May 2025, platforms must remove intimate images shared without consent, and known copies, within 48 hours of a valid request. The FTC began enforcing this on 19 May 2026. · Source: US Federal Trade Commission, press release "FTC Begins Enforcing TAKE IT DOWN Act", May 2026

Updated:

Questions people ask

Can someone post a picture of you without your permission?

Often it isn't illegal on its own, but if it breaks platform rules or your privacy you can report it and ask for it to be removed. Posting someone's photo to humiliate, threaten or harass them can be a crime.

Can I make an app delete my data?

In the UK and EU you can ask a company to erase your personal data, especially data you gave as a child. In the US, rights depend on your state, but most apps have a delete-account option.

Is online harassment a crime?

It can be. Repeated harassment, threats and sharing intimate images without consent are crimes in the UK and US. Save evidence, report it on the platform and contact the police with a trusted adult.

How do I get a nude image of me removed from the internet?

If you were under 18 when it was taken, use a free tool like Take It Down to stop it spreading. Tell a trusted adult, and report it to the platform and the police. It is never your fault.

Related terms