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28th Jul 2015

British teenagers could soon get the right to delete embarrassing social media posts

What about the rest of us?

Ben Kenyon

We’ve all posted stuff on Facebook or Twitter in our younger years that would now make us cringe with embarrassment.

Remember when you tweeted how much you loved Ed Miliband in that bizarre #Milifandom craze? Or when you posted that video of you drunkenly singing Kylie while doing a mangina at your mum’s 50th? (anyone? Oh, just us then).

Well you might have tried to forget the past, but the internet sure as hell doesn’t…just ask the young Spanish player sacked from Deportivo La Coruna for slagging off the club on Twitter three years ago.

But now all those silly social media misdemeanours could be wiped away after campaign was launched to allow under 18s to delete damaging or embarrassing stuff they have stuck on the internet.

Ministers are rallying social media giants to add ‘delete’ buttons and to introduce expiry dates for posts generated by under-18s.

The move would give teenagers the power to remove content, the right to know who is using their data, protection from illegal practices and support if confronted by upsetting scenarios online.

What about all the stuff silly adults post now, you ask? Well, presumably you’re old enough to know better…

H/T ITV