Your rights: a guide for children and young people

Every child and young person who uses Healthdirect Australia has rights. Rights help make sure you are safe, treated kindly and listened to.

You have the right to be safe

This means feeling safe everywhere, even online. No one should hurt you, trick you or make you feel unsafe. 

You have the right to be respected

This means you should always be treated fairly and kindly. No bullying. No unkind words about who you are. No being left out. This is true no matter who you are, what language you speak or what your family is like.  

You have the right to be heard

You can ask questions and share your worries. Adults should listen to you and take you seriously. What you tell us helps us do better. 

You have the right to clear information

Health information should be easy to understand and right for your age. This helps you make good choices about your health.  

You have the right to feel proud of who you are

You can share your culture, traditions and language without anyone being unkind to you about it.  

For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, this means feeling connected to family, community and Country (the land, waters and places that are important to them). We want you to feel safe and proud.  

You have the right to privacy

This means your personal and health information is kept safe. It is not shared unless there is a good reason. You have the right to know how your information is used.  

Here is what Healthdirect Australia promises: 

• We check our website and tools to make sure they are safe and easy to use. 
• We make sure information is right for your age.
• We keep your information safe and private.
• We respect all cultures, including those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people. 
• We say no to unkind or unfair treatment of any kind.
• We welcome all children and young people. 
• We teach our staff how to keep you safe.
• We work with families, carers and communities to help keep you safe. 

Healthdirect works hard to keep children and young people safe from harm. This is a promise we take seriously every day.

We follow rules that protect you and we make it easy to ask for help.

We check this page every year to make sure we keep our promise to you.

If something doesn't feel right, you have the right to speak up. 

• You can tell us if you feel unsafe.
• You can tell us if something is not helpful or does not feel right.
• You can tell us if something is hard to understand. 

We will listen. We take every worry seriously. We will act kindly and you will never get in trouble for speaking up. 

If you feel unsafe, or if you are worried about another child, tell a trusted adult and contact Healthdirect.