Age restrictions
This discussion was inspired by jubilant_accordion of Rhemaville Christian Academy in Nigeria, who wanted to start a discussion about age restrictions. They have won five stars for having their idea published!
Look at the following actions – they all have age restrictions, although the rules differ around the world.
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Voting in an election
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Going to prison
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Learning about the news
Over to you!
- What should the age limit be for each of these actions?
- Should each country have to agree on the same age limits? Why or why not?
Don’t forget to read what other students think. Reply to them using the thumbs up, thumbs down and question mark icons.
Comments (242)
The age limit for Voting in my opinion should be 18 because then you will have a basic understanding of why excatly you want to vote for he/she. For going to prision i belive that it should also have the age 18 because Most crime happen with adults and if a kid gets sent to jail they might get bullied ar be disturbed constantly.Finnaly for learning the news i fel like it should be any age because wanting to know what happend or is happing around you most of the time is benifiacal so you can see the results and if possible make a change in the wold.These are the age i belive these situatons would land in and im intrested to see everyone's results.
I disagree because... I think the voting each should start from 17, not just 18. A 17-year-old can make decisions and should have a seat in voting. Young minds deserve a chance to express their opinion Because they can be able to make their own choices.
I disagree with this comment as voting at 17 is the same thing as voting at 18, the age difference is only by one year. Although, I understand your perspective as you would like to participate in voting to express your opinion. Even so, I think that even some 18-year-olds now might not even be mature enough to vote; some of them just vote to vote as they don't really care for it. Voting has a big impact in our country and depending on who we vote on it could change our lives. All in all, I believe that we should stick to the age restrictions as they are made for a reason.
I agree with you precious swan becaus a 17 year old is just as smart with politics and its not like you will learn every single thing about voting in one year and 17 year olds can be able to make their own decisions if they want to
Well great_blueberry
Even thought some 17 year-olds might be as educated in politics as 18 year olds or even more educated, many aren’t. A majority of the teens as well as even people in their early 20s in many countries don’t know much about politics since younger generations have been more focused on things that don’t affect the economy. Often times older generations would vote more, know more about the government as well as economy, and even know more about the people in there countries as a whole. Circling back to 17 year olds being educated, many 17 year olds can be educated in many subjects including politics, but oftentimes their education can be biased since almost every source to learn about politics can be or is biased in some way.
I strongly disagree with you because the age limit should be 18 and I'm pretty sure the government have a specific reason for making the age limit 18. And it is also said that when you are 18 your an adult you have the right at that age to make your decision and to do whatever you think is right for you without asking any body but it's also not bad if you ask some one for advice which will benefit you. I think that every country should make their age limit 18 because you have become matured at that age and you know what is right and wrong for us.
Why do you think 18 is the best age to mark adulthood? Can you find any facts that support this?
Hey mam tiff if you notice that many countries in the world have 18 is best age to mark adulthood. But it's absolutely wrong Because many countries like Malaysia, Kuwait, Cameroon also set the legal age of majority in 21 or even more. Because to complete their education and to learn some adulthood responsibilities.
Hope you understand😊
I said so because 18 means " reaching the age of majority". 18 is also considered a full matured or fledged adult with rights and responsibilities.
Whoever is 18 is not anymore considered a teen he or she is considered an adult because you can decide what you want without someone deciding it for you.
In my country Nigeria the constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria provides eighteen(18) years as the age of majority at this age you can get a drivers license, voters card and many more.
I hope my comment has convinced you and not confuse you.
Thank you
I disagree with you great_blueberry because, The age limit for voting should be 18 because at eighteen in some countries people are drafted into the military or army to fight. They should have the right to vote for who they want as their president.
I'm not sure about this because, In my own country, once you get to the age of 18, you are not regarded or addressed as teenager any longer so I don't think it is ideal for a 17 years old citizen to cast a vote. The government has a reason for the age restriction.
I totally agree with you because 17 can never be regarded as the age of majority because you can only start driving when you have a driving license and you can only own it when you are 18. And for voters card you can only decide who you think is going to improve the country or state by voting is still eighteen but if you think 17 is the right age please could you state how.
I disagree with you because the age limit for voting should be 18 because from 18 upwards you are considered as an adult and you are responsible for your own offences or crimes you commit.
Thank you
I disagree because... The age limit for voting should be 21 because when a person is 21 he/she could be out of the university, has a job and is also paying taxes.
I think this comment is true and that the decision making of 18 and over should be changed and that young minds should have a say in the voting society.This is also big because 49% of young minds aged from 17 can make a say and a vote in the community.
I agree with you because in my country we also vote at the age of 18 . Even though we are used to these sayinng age is just a number we should still follow the age restrictions.
I agree with you polite pomegranate. But what I feel is that as long as you are a matured individual and understand the laws and rules of politics and you are able to make a decision for yourself, you can participate in elections.
I'm not really sure about what you are saying because in my country, children have suffered in terms of governance because when it comes to elections it is only adults by the age of 18 and above that are allowed to vote which from my perspective I feel that children have been cheated because for example when there is poverty it is all people that will feel it both adults and children which I feel children suffer it the most because when there is bad economy in the country because of poor governance there will be poverty which when there is poverty children will not be able to go to school because of lack of school fees which will lead to a society filled with uneducated people.
In essence, what I am trying to say is that the age of voting should try and be reduced down to the age of 14. Although yes people may say that they are not yet matured to be able to make decisions but I feel that we should give them the chance because I feel they should start learning now on how to carry out major decisions like voting.
Thank You!!!
Do you think that children aged 14 would be influenced by their parents voting decisions?
I disagree because 14 year old can be independent but also very silly like I have seen couple of 14 year olds messing around and doing silly things.
I agree because... children at the age of 14 have been listening to thier parents for over 13 years why do they have to stop there now.
I strongly disagree because of the fact that to vote, you need to understand who you are voting for. When doing many things, children the age of 14 do not do their research. This would lead to the child voting for someone just because someone else told them to or because of information being spread by social media. In many cases this information is not true, which could lead to the teenager voting for someone when they do not know the intentions of.
What age do you think would be a more appropriate age to vote at?
I think that at least 21 is a more appropriate age. At 21 most people are mature enough to do research on politics before voting. 21 is also the legal age for most things, one example being drinking. 21 is also the age where people really are responsible. With being responsible, adults are less likely to believe misleading information. They are likely to do their research before believing things that they've heard on social media. This is one of the key factors that make them more fit to vote.
I personally believe that 16 is the appropriate age to vote.
Hello Eva @ Topical Talk
what I have to say is that yes what you are saying is true the 14-year-olds can be influenced by their parents because I personally feel they have not reached a certain age that they are fully independent. based on research most 14-year-olds are still under the roof of their parents so they can easily key into whatever their parents are saying because they are not yet fully matured. Although some young people have phones or gadgets that expose them to the internet which from there, they can decide to choose who they want to vote during an election.
In conclusion what I am trying to say is that most '14' year olds can be influenced by their parents' decisions.
THANK YOU!!!
In some cases yes. 14 year olds have no say in their own life, they've barely even started making their own decisions at that age. I know I'm younger than that, but young people can be swayed to easily believe in things.
I fully agree with you because... In my opinion the age limit of voting should be approximately 15-16 years because at the age of 16 years a person becomes fully matured to understand the things around him/her and right to vote should be given to these age years.further, about the prison so I think whoever is doing the crime (of whatever the age limit) they should go to jail whatever the age of the person is.. crime is crime ..if not going to jail, then some of the punishments should be given to the criminal.. lastly, I would like add about the age limit for learning the news .. so I think this should be allowed to 12+ so that they they get aware about the information..
I personally think that everybody should be able to know the news but people should moderate these sites making sure children don't access them and change their opinions on things just because of a little website.
I strongly disagree with you because the age 16 year is not the mature age for voting there are lot of things out there about voting and election that the 16 year olds might not know,politics is a very very dangerous game and the law said that"when a citizen is 18 above is a fully mass chord person and is allowed to make any decisions in their life without seeking advice from any other person on the age restriction for prison is meant to be 17 above.
I agree with you but you shouldn't forget that 15-16 years is matured time But not fully. And if you think that 15-16 years is fully matured time. But they will need further education about the world. And in my country there is only legal age of doing work is 18+ and if there is any shopperkepper that he's servant is less than 18. He need to go to jail. And the legal age is marriage is also more than 21 so a person is not fully matured in 15-16 years old.
Thanks for your attention😉
Thank you so much for the question
I do not think that they will be influenced by their parent's voting decision because they feel that at this age, they are explicitly aware that they are now teenagers and they will want to now be independent so they feel that they are all grown up to take their own decisions. They might feel overwhelmed that they were under their parent's control since childhood so now that they are teenagers, they will not want to allow their parents to still control them. I also feel that at this age since they want to be independent, they might find an interest in making their own voting decisions and in politics. This is because they will realize that some things in the economy are not going on smoothly due to a particular person so they will want to put things right by voting for the right person who they might think will do the job properly and can also persuade others to take that same decision. At this age, they will notice things plainly and will not allow people to interfere in their voting decision making enabling them to be non- biased and voting for the person that can do the job properly and not the person that they like.
Definitely. At home, when parents share their opinions, the teens listen. Sometimes, they think similarly to their parents, without even realizing. In some households, the parents might even tell the teens to vote with what they, the parents, choose. To me, this does not seem fair. I understand that in villages affected by poverty there might be some 14 year olds ready to sincerely vote, but it is still not all of them. Children from bigger cities are more likely to not even be politically informed. What I mean by that is that those kids are more immature, more childish. They are probably not even interested in politics. So, those teenagers shouldn't be voting. If they do, then there's a big risk that they will vote for someone randomly. Also, I don't think that they should be rushed to grow up and mature so quickly. Voting in an election brings a lot of responsibility and a lot of pressure. So by now, I can see four main groups of teens which would have to vote:
1. Those who will be influenced by their parents
2. Those from poor villages who actually wish to get properly involved
3. Those from big cities that won't care that much
4. Those who aren't ready yet to, but who do their best to make the right choice
If all the teens are divided like this, I don't think that it would be fair for them to get involved. I believe that at 18 years old, they will have a better approach to this, because they will have learned more about their needs, but also others. They will be harder to influence and will be able to tell if someone is lying to them.
I don't really think so because the parents usually cannot influence their children at 14 because they considered their children from 13 years as teenagers and some tee agers feel that they aren't meant to be told what to do by their parents because they feel too big that they can make their decisions.
Thanks
Hi Eva!
Yes, I think children who are only 14 years old would be highly influenced by their parents. These children haven't even lived and seen the world yet. They are still in their early teens and their mind still cannot understand many facts. Their range of understanding is limited and therefore their votes would be unfair. The parents of these children would influence the kids and voting would not be fair.
I partially agree with you supportive_wildcat, the reason being is that yes, it is true that only children of 18+ should be allowed to vote. The reason being is that as you said, they will will have the basic understanding and an explainable reason of why the want to vote for a particular person. If it was somebody underaged, most of them won't have a particular reason for voting for a specific reason. Moreover, if children under 18 vote, they might be presured or convinced by their parents to vote for someone else, because at that age they might be indecisive.
Secondly, I agree with you that there should not be any age restrictions when it comes to learning about the news. It is a good habit to keep yourself updated and know what is happening in the world, plus you don't know what you might learn from it, thus I agree with you about having no age restrictions in learning about the news.
Lastly, I would like to disagree with you about having people of only 18+ going to jail, this is because a crime is a crime, and the law state that any violation of the law shall be punished. Last year a 14 year old boy stabbed someone 114 times, and he was arrested, do you think if the police did not arrest him because he was too young he would stop killing people? He wanted to know how it felt to kill someone, so of course he will do it again, if he had the chance to do so, thus I think it should not only people of 18+ that should go to jail.
I agree because... In voting people should know which type of of political party they vote for because if voting is 13+ they might not know fully of which political party the people they want to vote for. And for the fact you said 18+ should go to prison I also agree because if also is from 13+ because they might get bullied and they may feel uncomfortable being the youngest one among many dangerous criminals. So I respectfully and agree with you in this comment you posted.
I agree because if people under 18 started to vote they might be persuaded easily to get votes so if the voting age was under 18 I believe it should be 16 or higher. This is so people can get a basic understanding of who they are voting for like supportive_wildcat says.
I disagree with you supportive_wildcat. Voting release on maturity, and many countries set the minimum age of 18 for some reason. Regarding imprisonment, separate facilities exist for elderly and juvenile offenders, recognising age difference is rehabilitation. While news consumption is open to all ages, contents should be age -appropriate. Age consideration are essential in determining rights and responsibility like voting and imprisonment.
Thank you👍🏻.
I disagree because... Even people of age 17 can participate in election because you said that election is based on maturity and the people of 17 are as matured. The difference between thier maturity is just a little.
Hello Optimistic_meteor, I would like to clarify my comment because it's like you don't understand my comment. So what I mean to say is that maturity doesn't have to do with age, a 10 year-old can be very mature meaning that he responsibly knows whatever he is doing, but some people take a longer time to do that. Also in schools polls and votes are allowed because some teachers allow voting in roles like class-monitors, head boy, etc. I hope I have cleared the doubts.
Thank you 😊.
But you never mentioned this in your first comment but I am still on my opinion. Just like great blueberry said, you cannot learn voting in a year. By the time they reach 18, they are already used to participating in election.
I disagree with you because age 17 is an age of teens and they are not yet matured so sometimes cannot make the right decision in most cases. Also, according tohttps://trailscarolina.com/blog/teen-mistakes-theyre-important development/#:~:text=Teen%20mistakes%20are%20a%20critical,for%20becoming%20successful%20in%20adulthood, teens mistakes are a critical part of developing into a capable young adult. Just imagine an election in which the majority are teens, well there is a chance that the teens will probably make a mistake and choose the candidates that will favour them.
I just say that teens should not be able to vote in elections or in major things especially 17 year olds.
Yes supportive_wildcat, I support you that the age for voting should be 18 because at the age of 18 it is assumed that you should have basic knowledge and understanding of the political system adopted in their country therefore you should be able to vote wisely and maturely. But on the aspect of going to prison I think that a child of any age could be taken to prison so far the child is able to reasoning and knows the right and wrong thing to do. We were made to see that a prison is a correctional Centre so it is not a necessity for the child to be bullied because he/she can be kept with his/her age group.
I partially agree with you. As I agree that the eligible age for voting across the globe should be 18 because I believe that at the age of 18 people are mature enough ,have enough knowledge of politics and have an understanding of their surroundings and are not lured easily by someone's thought, but I don't agree with the age of going to the prison and that crimes are committed by the adults some the most heinous crimes are committed by young kids or juveniles yes one alternative could be that the make juvenile jail where only these criminals are kept . Last but not the least learning about the news has no age restrictions since age is just a number
I agree because... At the age of 18 people have basic education and understanding regarding the procedure, regarding politics and more. If, the age of a person is less than 18, they may not have proper education, knowledge, experience and they may not be mature. Additionally, proper decision making is also required, which comes with experience and knowledge. By the age of 18, people don't have a lot of experience, but a limited experience, which people may not have at 14 or 15 years of age. And if a person wishes to engage in politics (voting), experience is required to choose the leader on the basis of what the leaders did in past, was the leader legally correct, etc.
Consequently, age restrictions are needed for better outcomes, but I agree, for learning there should be no age bar, and so, for news, there should be no age restrictions.
I agree because... First of all, At 18, individuals are considered legal adults in many countries, granting the right to vote at this age aligns with the concept of legal adulthood and the assumption that individuals at this stage are capable of making informed decisions. Second of all, by setting the voting age 18 , societies aim to ensure that voters have reached a level of maturity and cognitive development sufficient to understand the issues at stake and make informed decision. Last of all, it strikes a balance between recognizing the rights of young adults to participate in democratic process and ensuring that they are sufficiently mature and informed to do so responsibly.
LOOKING FORWARD TO CORRECTION
THANK YOU
I totally agree with your perspective and I also believe that the age at which people should be able to vote in elections ought to be 18 as this is the time when they start thinking compliantly and they become spiritually and phycologically complete and capable to distinguish healthy standards. Moreover, like you said yourself, I also concur that the age limit for going to prison should be 18 because when they are younger they have no idea of what they are doing. On the contrary when they become older they are more responsible of their actions, the consequences and has to be punished. Lastly, I also think that people should be acknowledged about news worldwide at any age because although when they are young they don't utterly perceive the situations, it is pivotal for them to just be aware in irder to have an opinion.
I agree because... In my country you are only allowed to vote at the age of 18 because by that time you have your full sense and you can even get married by that time.And for going to jail,18 and above are the ones in jail 'cause,they are the fully matured ones and have the opportunity to do anything.People that are not teens get preaching from their parent or other good people because if they are taken to jail they will be maltreated or even be beaten to death.For learning news,it should any age because,learning how to develop and bring peace to the nation is everyone's responsibility.
THANK YOU.💝😊
Hello supportive_wildcat!
I totally agree with you because, for voting, a 18-year old person is mature enough to understand what politic party wants to lead his country. For going to prison I also agree because a 14-year old kid can be in danger if he meets the most dangerous criminals in the prison. For learning the news I also think that there's no specific age because everyone have the rights to know what is happening around her/him.
Bye!
Hi,
I think that each country should agree on the same age limits for different activities because not being on the same page can affect people around the world a lot. Countries agreeing on the same age limit or range for activities withholds a lot of benefits, for instance, It can help in ensuring that children and teenagers are protected from activities and programs that may serve as a threat or that may be harmful to their physical and mental health. It can also help with a major problem which is age discrimination and it can help to ensure that everyone gets equal access to opportunities regardless of their age, Because in places like my country children are admitted into their various classes based on the intellectual abilities and capacity and also based on their degree of maturity, so you may tend to find children of nine or ten years in like the seventh grade or even the eighth grade but in cases where they are to move or transfer to schools in other countries whose age limits is not the same with that of Nigeria's they may have to be taken back to classes they have gone through already, I have this friend who was my classmate also, she moved to UK of recent and now because of how their age limit differs from ours she was taken two classes back and now she is my junior, this has also happened to some of my seniors to travelled abroad to , some of them have become my classmates now. This is one of the disadvantages or demerits of having different age ranges around the world. An additional advantage is that having the same age limits around the world can help to break down regulations and make it easier for people to comprehend what is expected of them in different countries or even make it easier for them knowing that it won't be a different system and reducing the risk of having to adapt to a different system than they are used to. For example World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that children and teenagers aged 5-17 years should engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily, but, because of our different age limits and what different countries find the right age to do something WHO stated that " more than 80% of adolescents and 27% of adults do not meet WHO's recommended levels of physical activity". I feel that these should be reasons that motivate the world to come together and agree on suitable and adequate age ranges that are acceptable by the people and will also make people comfortable where ever they go.
Thank you!
Great research to support your ideas!
I think it would be beneficial if all the countries in the world agreed on the same age limits for stuff like driving, voting, drinking, and so on. Because right now, it's kind of messed up that different countries have different rules for how old you have to be to do certain things. It can affect people a lot, especially if they travel or move to another country. Like, it can change how they get around, how they get involved in politics, how they take care of their health, and how they fit in with other people. It would be much easier and fairer if everyone followed the same age limit policy, don't you think?
rhetorical goat
I agree because... you have made good points about why all countries have to agree on the same age limit. In addition to what you have said ,the age limit is causing a big problem in the world, imagine a student of fifteen years old can not gain admission into college in Nigeria, meanwhile other students of the same age in other countries have graduated from college and achieving great things in life . A student will have to wait until he is sixteen years old before gaining admission into college in Nigeria . I will advise that it will be better if all countries abide by the same age limit.
I strongly support this idea. Having the whole world set to a standard this will help in the unity between youths. Imagine being able to travel anywhere just to see that it is just like home, the joy that will be in your heart knowing that they honor your age just like home.
Age really is just a number as maturity doesn't depend on your age maturity entails with the way you respond to the different situations thrown at you in life.
Having a standard in all the world will provide increased more travelling for the young ones helping them experience different environment without problems.
THANKYOU.
rhetorical goat, I agree with you it would really benefit people from other countries, for example, in Senegal the acceptable age for marriage is 16, so let's say a 20-year-old Senegalese man marries a 16-year-old Senegalese woman, if the both of them travel to a country like America, the man can get arrested by the police, because in America the law states that you can only get married with someone who is 18 years old or higher.
This is why I agree with you that everyone should follow the same age limit policy.
Hi,
In my opinion, the voting age should be 19 as by then, people's minds are developed enough to choose the best candidate. For going to prison, I believe the age limit should be 10 because kids at that age understand that breaking the law is wrong, and facing consequences is necessary. Regarding learning about the news, 13 seems suitable, as it's when people typically grasp newscasters' messages. Not all countries should have the same age limits because each nation has unique rules, making it challenging to establish a universal constitution. It's crucial to consider diverse perspectives when setting such age-related regulations.
I support your idea because... when people have approached 19, they have a sense of maturity and are ready to vote because of their past experiences guiding the choices they make this will help in the immense development of nations and towns as people will know what is and is not good for them.
Thankyou.
I totally agree with you on the fact that children should be exposed to current world affairs at a younger so they dont end up growing with a corrupt mindset however , children should not be confined in jails at an early age because if we take it into consideration that we have been young at some point we made silly mistakes such as stealing some petty money from our parents wallets but, from then on we have been taught valuable lessons that have natured us into amicable and reasonable grown ups. So my question is was there need for confinement , harsh punishments because thats what a prison is basically for. All in all there are other ways to teach limitations
Hi, ambitious partner
I agree with you on the voting age but for going to prison or facing the law for children....,the fact is that children at the age of 10 would not be fully grown up in terms of mental and emotional state according to their family background.The problem comes from the family first,how they train the child,what they've taught him or her about the law so the consequences should not only be directed to the children but also to the parents or guardians
I disagree that you should be 13 to see the news as i believe that any age group should know about the news. From very young ages, we won't be able to understand, but I think that we should understand most of the news from the age of at least 6. However, i do agree that 19 is a suitable voting age as during our teenage years we are known to take more risks and perhaps be more immature. In regards to the law, i do agree to an extent however some children at 10 may still not fully know what is and isn't allowed. Of course, they will still know most common things like murder and theft.
I agree because in our country U.S.A, it is not irregular for teens to do heinous crimes and receive no punishment because they are underage. So I agree with you that the age minimum for going to prison should be 10, because kids need to know what not to do young in order to stay out of prison.
I would agree for voting to have age restrictions because many young children may not even know about the person who they are voting for,but should have age restrictions, I personally would say that 18 is the right and standard age for voting because by that age the individual is almost an adult and has the mindset of an adult because the person is beginning to see how life is and is exposed to information though news.
I would go against having age limits to listening to news because the individual needs to know about the happenings in the society, because this helps children to be able to know how the world is and how to manipulate through its challenges, it also important for news not to have age restrictions so that children can be able to know the proper things to ask their parents for and to be able to gather knowledge, for example, a child that watches or reads news will ask his parents for internet access to be able to do research and widen his knowledge on what has captivated his mind in the news. News not having age restrictions can help children to make their career choices and work towards it early because they may have seen others in that field of study in the news.
I am not sure about the age restriction of children going to prison because children can be used to commit crimes and go unpunished because they are not going to prison and if children learn this at a tender age, they will become criminals because something learnt as a child is usually hard to erase, this leads to high crime rate in the society because they have accepted crime as a norm. But if children go to prison because of crime, they may be treated harshly, which makes them to think of the world as a bad place and think of how to escape, if which is successful will plan to take revenge on the government agencies and become criminals. So to this problem, let children go to prison depending on the gravity of their offence and parents should be careful with the friends children make and give them some restrictions to their usage of the internet, also children should be taught that crime is punishable.
THANK YOU.
I agree with voting at the age of 18. Many people say you can start voting at the age of 17 but I really think that isn't correct since 17 isn't an adult yet and you really haven't learned about voting nor they haven't gotten out of school yet.
The age limit for voting should be 18 because 18 year olds are more responsible than anyone under 18. They may know more about politics than someone who is 16 or 15. The age limit for jail should be 16. They should understand that breaking the law is wrong by that age. Someone who may be 12 or 13, they might not understand that because they are not as mature as a 16 year old. The age limit to learn about the news should be 12. I believe that a 12 year old should be able to understand at least some of the stuff that happens on the news. It is also a great way to learn what is going on in the world.
I strongly disagree with you because nowadays, the knowledge of 12 to 13 year olds and 16 year old is almost equal. They now know almost everything you might not expect them to know so I feel that the age limit for voting can be 14 because at this stage, they will learn how to make their decisions without being influenced by their parents on who to vote for.I also feel that people around 15 years should go to prison because this will help them learn how to be responsible for their mistakes. Lastly, I feel that children around 11 years should learn about the news so that they can know what is happening in their community.
I disagree because science shows that the brain does not fully develop until age 23, meaning 23 year olds would be more responsible than anyone under 23 (including 18 year olds). Not only that but with current social media, 12 and 13 years old can be as mature or even more mature than 16 year olds. This can be seen in the influx of Gen Alpha (starting year 2010) influencers online who are spending thousands on makeup, skin care, and stuff of that sort despite not being 'mature enough'.
Although, I do agree with your opinion that the age limit to learn about news should be 12. Kids under 12 shouldn't need to worry about the disasters going on life as they should enjoy their childhood.
What are your sources for your statistics used?
My sources for my statistics include the National Institute of Mental Health, where I figured out there was in fact a slight flaw in my reasoning. I figured out the brain does not fully develop until age 25 but does stop growing at age 23 and I apologize for the mistake.
As for the statistics for Gen Alpha, I have two studies. One can be accessed through Britannica and was done by Stephen Eldridge under the title "Generation Alpha" (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Generation-Alpha) where it states, "much of Generation Alpha will be online from birth."
My last source is an interview with EDS's (Education Development Center) Shelley Pasnik about the exposure of technology to children is becoming more common at a common age and can be found posted by Katie Bishop under the title "Kids getting older younger: Are children growing up too fast?" (https://www.edc.org/are-kids-growing-faster)
I truly agreed with your comment, till you said: Kids under 12 shouldn't need to worry about the disasters going on life as they should enjoy their childhood. You are never too young to face life. The earlier you learn about the struggles in life, the much more you become a pro at it. Even many people under 12 are taking part of the topical talk, and it helps them know more. Aren't problems discussed in the topical talk, but it prepares children for the struggles in life they will face and helps them to be able to learn how to communicate. Like I said before: You are never too young to face life.
I disagree because you said: science shows that the brain does not fully develop until age 23, meaning 23-year-olds would be more responsible than anyone under 23 (including 18 year olds). I know because you are right but just because your brain has not fully developed it does not mean it has not developed at all. Their brain is still developed enough for stuff like voting and more. And you also said: Gen Alpha influencers online who are spending thousands on makeup, skin care, and stuff of that sort despite not being 'mature enough'. Like seriously, the same money you claim they are wasting that is the same money they are gaining for their posts. The is an influencer online who's eight-year-old daughter is obsessed with makeup, but yet it makes her millions because people like to see kids do stuff grown-ups mostly do and she has gotten other opportunities for her talent. It also makes their kids to learn to follow their dreams.
Thank you!
I disagree because there are Gen Alpha children who are not influencers online. Besides that, child influencers are not super ethical. Influencers deal with a lot of despicable fans who do not respect their boundaries (for example, how Mitski has taken several breaks due to fans making her uncomfortable) and the situations are just worse for child influencers because of their young age. Not only that but there have also been family influencers who have gotten arrested due to exploitation. I myself do not feel comfortable enough to talk about any of these topics in detail but this is just the tip of the iceberg.
I disagree with you calm_measurement, the reason is that before a child is 16+ they would already know the difference between right and wrong. When you commit a crime you should be punished, that is the law. There are a lots of news about children under the age of 16 involved in illegal activities. There are also lots of kids below 16 who have matured brains and might do certain things above their age, thus I disagree with you about the age limit of jail being 16+.
Lastly, I also disagree with you about the age limit to learn about the news being 12+, I think that there is no age limit to learn about the news, children can be updated and learn more about what is happening in the world. Even if they don't understand what is been said on the news, children can build vocabulary. If an unborn child can hear sounds when they are six months, how much of children who is fully developed and not in their mother's womb? Thus I disagree with you stating that the age limit of watching the news should be children of 12+.
There are different actions that have different age limits in different countries, such as driving, voting, drinking, smoking. These age limits are often based on various factors, such as cultural norms, scientific evidence, legal frameworks, and ethical principles. Some people may argue that there should be a universal agreement on the age limits for each of these actions, while others may disagree.
One possible reason to support a global consensus on the age limits is to promote human rights and equality. For example, if some countries allow children to marry or work at a very young age, while others prohibit it, this may create a situation of exploitation and discrimination. By having a common standard, the international community could protect the rights and interests of children and adolescents, and ensure that they have access to education, health care, and other opportunities.
Another possible reason to oppose a global consensus on the age limits is to respect diversity and sovereignty. For example, if some countries have a higher or lower age limit for drinking or voting than others, this may reflect their historical, cultural, or religious values and traditions. By imposing a uniform rule, the international community could infringe on the autonomy and identity of different nations and peoples, and cause resentment and resistance.
Therefore, the question of whether each country should have to agree on the same age limits for each action is not easy to answer. It depends on how one balances the benefits and costs of harmonization versus differentiation, and how one weighs the importance of universalism versus relativism.