Dynamic Teen Coalition · Youth Policy Lab

Policy shaped by the people it affects most.

A fully teen-led research lab embedding youth directly into the global digital-policy pipeline. At the table, not just on the agenda.

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Research & Policy Research & Policy Research & Policy Research & Policy Research & Policy Research & Policy 

Global TeenRestriction Database

Mapping internet censorship targeting minors across 40+ countries

LGBTQ+ YouthOnline Safety

Examining digital spaces and platform policies for queer teens

Platform Governance& Youth Rights

How Big Tech shapes the digital rights of the next generation

Youth-led research shaping the rules of the digital world.

Digital Rights Research
Digital Rights Research
Platform Governance
Platform Governance
Youth Privacy Advocacy
Youth Privacy Advocacy
Social Media Ban Research
Social Media Ban Research
DTC members at the United Nations flag row in New York

At DTC Youth Policy Lab, we believe teen voices shouldn't be an afterthought in digital policy: they should lead it.

About Us

The numbers

The consultation gap, by the numbers.

Countries with social media bans on minors

None consulted youth

0Restriction Database

Meaningful youth policy input

0%Consultation gap

Measures tracked in our database

Every entry sourced

0Global Teen DB

Governance framework we've authored

ILMM

0ILMM

Peer-reviewed studies in progress

0Marginalized Youth Study

Roll Call

Years of being in the room.

A record of where teenagers showed up in global digital-policy processes, and what happened when they did.

  1. 2023

    Internet Governance Forum

    Kyoto

    Invited by the UN IGF Secretariat to establish the Dynamic Teen Coalition, the first teen-led coalition at the Internet Governance Forum.

  2. ’23–’24

    UN advocacy & the first database

    UN events · worldwide

    Returned to UN events year after year, challenging blanket social-media bans and building the first systematic global database of teen online restrictions.

  3. 2025

    IGF Oslo: IGF 2025

    Norway

    Questioned the Australian government on their position on the impact of teen bans on marginalised youth, the exchange that became our paper.

  4. 2025

    ECOSOC YF · HLPF · WSIS+20 · UNGA · IYC

    via UN MGCY

    Beyond the IGF, DTC engaged UN-adjacent processes through the UN Major Group for Children & Youth: delegations, oral interventions, and side events.

  5. 2026

    Youth Policy Lab

    Headquartered in Singapore

    DTC evolves into a teen-led policy research lab, turning years of presence in the room into rigorous, sourced research.

Our Global Impact

Looking out over the UN grounds and New York skyline from inside the United Nations
DTC members meeting a UN official at United Nations Headquarters
The laws that govern our online lives are written without us. It's time teens stopped being the subject of the research and became the researchers.

Dynamic Teen Coalition

Youth Policy Lab

Our Mission

42

Countries with teen bans or restrictions

Restriction Database

6

UN & UN-adjacent forums engaged in 2025

UN Engagement

100%

Teen-Led

By youth, for youth

The Global Teen Restriction Database maps every social-media ban and blanket restriction affecting teens, country by country, each entry sourced, so policy can reflect the actual experiences of youth.

Explore the database

Frequently Asked
Questions

DTC Youth Policy Lab is a fully teen-led research organization focused on youth digital rights and the policies that govern young people's online lives. We conduct rigorous research to ensure youth voices are represented in global digital policy discussions.

Any passionate teenager who is interested in digital rights, policy, research, or advocacy can apply to join our lab. We welcome members from diverse backgrounds and locations globally.

Our research process is highly collaborative. Teams of teen researchers identify pressing issues, conduct qualitative and quantitative studies, review policy frameworks, and produce reports that are often submitted for peer review or directly shared with policymakers.

No prior formal research experience is required! We value curiosity, dedication, and a willingness to learn. Experienced members and mentors will guide you through the research methodologies we employ.

We actively share our findings with policymakers, digital rights organizations, and tech companies. Our global teen restriction database and various reports provide concrete data that advocates use to shape legislation and platform guidelines.