A plain-language guide to your legal boundaries.
A resource for navigating encounters with authority — from the classroom to the sidewalk.
This is not legal advice.
The information here is general and the law changes by state. If you're dealing with something serious, contact a local youth legal clinic or public defender's office.
If stopped by police
Stay calm
Keep your hands visible. Don't run or make sudden movements.
Ask this first
"Am I free to go?" If yes, walk away. If no, you're being detained.
Right to silence
"I am exercising my right to remain silent." Say it and then stop talking.
Topic Index
06 CategoriesIn the Classroom
Locker searches, free speech in school papers, and discipline.
Police Encounters
Stops, searches, and the three sentences that protect you.
Online & Privacy
Phones, DMs, school monitoring, deepfakes, doxxing — your digital rights, in plain language.
At the Job
Wages, breaks, hours, and what your boss can't make you do.
In the Streets
Assembly, curfews, and filming in public.
Medical Access
Confidential care, consent rules, and mental health.
Scenario Q&A
"My teacher wants to see my phone. Do I have to give it to them?"
Generally, no. Schools need 'reasonable suspicion' that you've violated a specific rule to search your property. A general hunch is not enough.
"Can I film a protest if I'm under 18?"
Yes. Photographing and recording things plainly visible in public is a constitutional right, at any age.
"Can a doctor tell my parents what I said in session?"
Almost never, unless you're in danger of seriously hurting yourself or someone else. Most teen-doctor conversations are confidential.
Keep the scripts in your pocket.
A credit-card sized printable with the exact phrases to say if things get tense — for your wallet or behind your phone case.
Get the wallet card