Can your parents just read your messages? Or do you have a right to privacy?
Yes and no. Actually, as a young person, you do have a right to privacy, but that doesn't mean your parents should never look.
It's just like with letters. There used to be such a thing as letter secrecy, which meant that no one other than yourself was allowed to read your letters. But now, with all these apps and messages, the same idea actually applies. Your parents are not allowed to just poke around in all your messages, because those are your private things.
It even says in a special convention on children's rights that children have a right to privacy, so parents should not just check everything. But - there is a but. Parents also have a duty to look after and protect their children. So if they think something is going wrong, for instance if you are being bullied online or weird people are sending you messages, they are allowed to check to help you.
So yes, you also have a right to privacy as a minor, but sometimes parents do need to keep an eye out to protect you.
OK, so human rights are rights that everyone has, like the right to be safe and the right to say what you think. They are important for all people, not just some. You know, democracy is a way of governing in which people like you and me can say what we want and use our rights. In the European Union, there is the European Parliament, and its job is to make sure everyone gets those rights.
And you know what? Now young people as young as 16 can vote for the European Parliament. That's cool, because young people also have things they care about, and they should be able to choose who stands up for those things in politics. Politics is about everything that happens in our lives, big and small.
So, it is important for young people to be involved in what happens in the world, in politics and in those human rights. When young people participate in making decisions, they see how it affects their lives and their freedom. And voting is the best way to get involved. Every vote counts!
This initiative is a collaboration with Rule of Law Day.
Do you have any other questions?
Can you just create a fake profile of, say, your teacher?
It is not illegal to create a fake account on social media. Still, you should be careful with this. Read more here!
Mag je zelf kiezen welke medische behandelingen je ondergaat?
verschil minderjarigen en meerderjarigen op vlak van consent
Can you just post or comment whatever you want online and does that fall under the right to free speech?
Not quite. You are allowed to express your opinion and talk about things you are for or against. That's part of the right to freely express your opinion. But there are rules. Read more here!