Do You Have Freedom Of Expression on Social Media Sites?

The internet provides the means for these people, to contact others who are concerned about similar issues, via chat rooms, comment facilities and social networking. It was additionally recognised that the internet also gives a voice to those who are otherwise unable to exercise it including victims of abuse and oppression, those who are house bound due to illness and those who don’t feel confident talking about their opinions to others face to face. For these groups the internet may provide a haven where, perhaps for the first time, they too can discuss their opinions, or seek help from others in similar positions.

At the IGF 2012, the Youth IGF Project’s workshop, further explored the relationship between social media, young people and freedom of expression. This workshop set out to consider what freedom of expression means to young people before considering and the what limitations they find themselves under, be it from the rules/community guidelines set by the service providers, social norms or the rules of schools where many young people access the internet. The workshop was planned and delivered by four young people.

They decided that their focus would be on the measures that can be taken to ensure freedom of expression and privacy for children and young people, particularly on social media sites. At the beginning of the workshop they clarified that as four teenagers from the UK “We feel it's important to expression at beginning that we will on the whole be talking about our experiences and those of our direct peers.” In preparation for the workshop, the Youth IGF Project team designed and developed a survey to find out from young people across the world how they felt about freedom of expression and social media.

The online survey was open between 12 September and 12 October and was disseminated internationally through youth networks. The survey was only available in English.