Public vote on young people’s ideas in British Library project compiling Magna Carta for digital age

The public now have the chance to choose their favourite ideas from the British Library's Magna Carta: My Digital Rights project, which marks the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta and the 25th anniversary of the web by asking young people to think about how the issues of freedom and control associated with Magna Carta apply to the digital age.

Some 3,000 young people aged between 10 and 18 have taken part in the project through debates and workshops on issues ranging from surveillance to cyberbullying. They then submitted over 500 proposed new clauses to Magna Carter on concerns such as freedom and privacy. Interestingly, half of the submissions actually concern online security and safety, rather than calls for freedom of speech and openness, with many children evidently chiefly concerned with protecting young people from online bullying and threats to their safety.

The public are now able to vote for their favourite of the 500 clauses submitted and on Monday 15 June, the British Library will publish the results in the form of a 'Magna Carta for a digital age'.

Roly Keating, the chief executive of the British Library, said: "Prompted by the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, the My Digital Rights project has provoked lively and timely discussions in classrooms around the United Kingdom and beyond. The results provide a fascinating perspective on how young people feel and talk about their lives on the Internet."