Ctrl+Alt+Reclaim

So, Donald Trump will be inaugurated next week. His closest Tech Bro pal Elon Musk is attempting to influence European politics by endorsing far right actors on his platform X. Another Tech Bro – Mark Zuckerberg – is desperate to become Trump’s bestie too. In recent weeks he’s donated to Trump’s fund, hired a defender of far-right media as Meta’s head of global affairs, and done away with fact checking on his platforms.

But what does this actually mean for young people? From smartphone bans in schools to the impact of addictive algorithms on young brains, societies around the world are panicking about the impact Big Tech companies are having on the next generation. With Trump’s increasingly cosy relationship with Big Tech ringing alarm bells, it’s time to make sure the internet is a safer place for generations to come.

I’m Rebecca Tyler, a 24 year old youth rights activist. I’m one of seventeen young people from the UK and EU launching a movement against the harms of Big Tech: Ctrl + Alt + Reclaim 💪👾

As a movement, we understand that social media has its benefits. It helps young people like us connect with each other, access information and express ourselves – particularly those of us from marginalised or isolated communities. But unfortunately we believe this is currently outweighed by the internet’s darker side.

We may be from different countries, backgrounds and cultures, but as a generation growing up with phones from the age of 10, we have all experienced the terrifying harms of Big Tech. One of us has even written a book about this issue, inspired by her personal experience.

For me, I got inspired to do something about all this during my masters in human rights law. I was shocked that despite the internet being a place where human rights abuses and societal divisions are amplified, our legislation does not effectively safeguard the public in the same way it protects our civil liberties offline. Digital rights are human rights, no question.

Making noise 📣

Last autumn, after months of developing a message that would resonate loudly with both policymakers and the public – we turned up outside the EU Parliament building in Brussels to make some noise about digital rights.

With the message ‘Are young lives worth Big Tech profits?’ emblazoned on a large banner, we stood in the EU Parliament square during peak morning hours to catch the attention of MEPs on their way to work. Resisting attempts by security to move us away from high-visibility areas, we had conversations with reams of passers by, distributed stickers and directed people to our manifesto.

A tiny group of CEOs behind much of our online experience are continuing to put our lives at risk, from increased teen suicide rates to amplifying violence, on and offline. Big Tech’s toxic algorithms are sapping our self-esteem, time and energy whilst turning our lives into data to be profited from. They are making billions off racism, misogyny and far right politics on their platforms.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. In our manifesto, we call for healthier social media feeds and algorithms, a break up of the Big Tech monopolies that rule our online lives, and stronger laws to safeguard our personal data. My generation must be at the forefront of drafting and implementing tech policy around this, as we understand the nuances of living with it more than anyone.

The good news is, some politicians are open to this. During our trip to Brussels, we spoke with MEP Kim van Sparrentak and policy advisors from other political parties. We shared our personal experiences with social media and our growing concerns about the harmful effects of unregulated digital platforms, and emphasised the importance of centring youth voices in policy discussions surrounding digital rights. 

Curious to see how the stunt at the European Parliament went? You can see us in action in this documentary about the future of the internet by filmmaker Floor van der Meulen, released earlier this month:

At the EU Parliament we shared our vision and engaged directly with policymakers on the issues most important to us. But this was just the start. We will continue in the fight for safer, fairer digital spaces. Read our manifesto, join our movement, and keep an eye out for our next steps on Instagram and TikTok. Let’s reclaim the internet together!

Ctrl + Alt + Reclaim is a new independent youth movement powered by People vs Big Tech.