A Collective Call from Inside Iran for Free and Equal Internet Access
Organizations and Advocates Inside Iran Reject State-Controlled Internet Access
Harm to Children, Education, and Underprivileged Areas Especially Severe
A broad coalition of civil society organizations in Iran has published a statement urgently calling for a free and open internet in the country, arguing that it is inseparable from the defense of education, children’s futures, economic dignity, and equal citizenship.
The statement, representing organizations in cities across Iran and published on May 21, 2026, comes at a critical moment for digital rights and fundamental freedoms in Iran. In recent months, Iran has experienced some of the most severe and prolonged internet shutdowns in the world, accompanied by intensified filtering, throttling, and selective-access policies that grant privileged connectivity to approved groups while denying ordinary citizens equal access to the global internet. Digital rights organizations, researchers, and international watchdogs have warned that these measures have transformed the internet in Iran from a shared public space into an instrument of exclusion and control.
The statement makes clear that access to a free, open, affordable, and unfiltered internet is not a privilege for select institutions or politically favored groups, but a universal right that underpins equality, dignity, and public participation.
It directly connects internet freedom to broader social, economic, and human rights concerns. The signatories emphasize that internet restrictions are not technical limitations on communication; they directly affect access to education, employment, healthcare, culture, and independent information.
In particular, the statement highlights the harmful consequences for children and young people, warning that filtering and unequal access policies deepen educational inequality and deprive students, teachers, and families of essential digital resources and opportunities for learning—especially in underprivileged areas.
The statement also draws attention to the severe economic and social costs of continued censorship and disruption. Small businesses, freelancers, journalists, artists, and technology workers across Iran increasingly depend on reliable and open internet access for their livelihoods and connection to the wider world. Repeated shutdowns and discriminatory access models undermine economic security, social trust, and equal citizenship, while isolating millions from global knowledge and communication.
At a time when technological control is being used to normalize exclusion and inequality, this collective statement represents an important act of social solidarity and resistance. It affirms that the struggle for internet freedom in Iran is inseparable from the defense of education, children’s futures, economic justice, freedom of expression, and the right of all people to participate equally in modern public life.
The full statement follows below.
Statement by Civil Society Organizations and Child Rights Advocates on Internet Restrictions and Digital Inequality
We, a group of non-governmental organizations and child rights advocates, express our concern over the continued restriction, disruption, and stratification of internet access—a process that has harmed children and adolescents more than anyone else, particularly those in underprivileged areas, while deepening educational, social, and economic inequalities.
Today, free and equal access to the internet is no longer a luxury; it is part of the fundamental rights of all people, especially children and adolescents. It is directly tied to the rights to education, access to information, social participation, personal development, and empowerment. Denying children and adolescents access to the global internet means depriving them of opportunities for learning, skill-building, creativity, engagement with the world, and preparation for the future.
The Islamic Republic of Iran acceded to the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1994 and is committed to implementing it. Under Articles 13, 17, and 28 of the Convention, children and adolescents have the right to access information, educational resources, and learning opportunities, and governments are obligated to facilitate such access. Free and equal access to information is also a prerequisite for equitable development and social participation in today’s world. However, internet restrictions and discriminatory access policies effectively violate these rights.
In recent years, online education and digital learning resources have become an inseparable part of the educational process. At a time when Iran’s education system already faces serious challenges—including lack of resources, educational inequality, shortages of specialized teachers, and poverty of learning materials—cutting off or restricting access to the global internet only exacerbates these problems and further distances children and adolescents in deprived regions from quality education.
Although access to the internet and communications infrastructure remains difficult and limited in many underprivileged areas, deprivation from the global internet significantly reduces the quality, diversity, and richness of educational resources. Children and adolescents—especially in remote learning environments—need diverse, up-to-date, and interactive content more than ever. Teachers and educational activists also rely on the global internet to use modern teaching methods and resources suited to new generations. Restricting internet access not only limits learning opportunities, but also accelerates educational inequality and widens the gap between privileged and marginalized groups.
Moreover, widespread internet shutdowns and disruptions affect not only education, but also families’ livelihoods and economic security. Many parents have built their businesses and employment around internet-based platforms, and damage to family livelihoods directly impacts children’s lives, psychological well-being, and opportunities for growth.
When free and high-quality internet becomes a privilege reserved for a limited group, educational, social, and economic discrimination are structurally reproduced. No society can speak of educational justice and equality of opportunity while simultaneously restricting equal access to knowledge, information, and connection with the world.
We emphasize that free, secure, and equal access to the internet is part of the fundamental rights of all people and an undeniable necessity for the future of children and adolescents in today’s world. Any policy that leads to digital deprivation, expands the educational divide, and deepens inequality will have long-term and irreversible consequences for society.
We call for an end to widespread internet restrictions, a halt to the stratification of digital access, and the guarantee of every citizen’s equal right to free and high-quality access to the global internet.
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- Pouya Educational Research Association, Tehran
- Society for Protecting the Rights of Children, Tehran
- Association for the Support of Child Laborers, Tehran and Bam (Kerman province)
- Little Tree Bird Association – Tehran
- Association for Supporting Children and Adolescents with Disabilities
- Association for Supporting and Assisting Socially Harmed Individuals (Reviving Values), Tehran
- Child Supporters Campaign Association, Tehran
- Kerman Child Supporters Association, Kerman
- Association for Assisting Children at Risk
- Hamdel Assistance Activists Group, Tehran
- Human Being, Difficult Duty Institute
- Little Tree of Life Institute, Qazvin (Qazvin province)
- Mehr-o-Mah Empowerment Institute, Tehran
- Neday-e Mandegar Darvazeh Ghar Empowerment Institute, Tehran
- Mehr Children’s Talent Development Institute, Tehran
- Farzaneh Social Activists Institute, Sistan and Baluchistan
- Kousha Life Promise Institute, Tehran
- Pouya Child Laborers Support Institute, Tehran
- Navaye Mehr Tak Foundation Institute, Tehran