Should teenagers have more or less freedom? - General

Should teenagers have more or less freedom? It seems like some teenagers can do whatever they want while other's cannot. Probably due to restrictions from parents and other factors. Too much freedom can lead to abuse (and other things?) while too much would lead to rebellions(?). So debate.

Its gotta be a case by case thing. There are teens who are model citizens. There are also teens who should be locked up.

Sorry to be an ass, but did you read this? [url]http://www.facepunch.com/threads/1126389[/url] What kind of freedom are we talking about here? For example, I think the voting age in the UK could be lowered to 16. A lot of 16 year olds are quite politically minded and I think that the ones that aren't sensible enough to be trusted with the vote, aren't the kind that would bother. Is that the kind of thing? Anyway, are we talking globally, in western society, United States, Europe...? Also how far can we go with this topic beyond stating opinions? You haven't put much information in the OP.

[QUOTE=Kman1;36069686]Its gotta be a case by case thing. There are teens who are model citizens. There are also teens who should be locked up.[/QUOTE] Yeah, just like there are adults who are model citizens and adults who should be locked up. Teenagers are different but their not THAT different. what exactly would we define as the baseline of freedom here anyways?

Every teen is different, it's hard to make broad sweeping generalizations about them as a group. I was a well grounded kid when I was in my teens and my parents gave me a ton of freedom. I smoked a little too much and missed a little more school than I should have but I always knew my limits. I still did quite well in school. But I know some kids with the amount of freedom I had may have ended up dead or flunking everything. On the flip-side, I know some kids that did a lot better than I did while still having the same amount of freedoms. So basically, start off with a lot of structure then shave off or become relaxed on a few things if your kid proves themselves to be mature.

Some things should be relaxed. Curfews for example. The teens you aim to keep off the streets with the curfew just break it anyway, or they go to their desired party before curfew. I also think school requirements should be a bit more lax. If I had the choice I would have gone straight from middle school to a tech school, but because state law said I had to go to high school first I had no choice but to learn a bunch of inconsequential bullshit. Thus, I think they should relax the rules a bit, any school should count towards being in school instead of the traditional 4-year high school. Other things should be tightened up. No teenager should be in, for example, an Escalade. It's just too much car for someone that inexperienced. If they want to drive it anyway they need to get a special endorsement on their license that comes with completion of a course that teaches them how to handle large, heavy, bulky, topheavy vehicles. They shouldn't be allowed in anything with >250HP either, because again they're just too inexperienced to handle something that powerful, and again if they insist they should be able to take a course that proves they actually can safely handle such a car before being allowed to drive one on public highways. There should also be mandatory driver's ed in all 50 states, here in TN the state leaves that entirely to the parents.

Even if a teen does have restrictions from their parents the restrictions may not be enforced by anyone at all. I honestly hold parents as the cause of kids doing stupid stuff simply because their not doing their job. But the amount of freedom of teens should be determined individually instead of enforcing the same rules on all teenagers.

Teenagers should have as much freedom as their parents are willing to allow them. Teenagers are not completely legally liable for their actions, their parents are. If they fuck up, it's their parents who ultimately pay the price.

The only thing that im aware of that bothers me is a legal curfew a government telling a citizen they can't be outside after a certain hour is ridiculous.

[QUOTE=NightmareXx;36105951]The only thing that im aware of that bothers me is a legal curfew a government telling a citizen they can't be outside after a certain hour is ridiculous.[/QUOTE] I think it's curfews are fine but 11 pm seems kind of late for teens to be barely going indoors. I think it should be lowered to at least 10 pm.

Curfew laws are dumb anyways. If a kid is going to be out and about causing no good, a curfew certainly isn't going to stop him.

The problem with many teenagers is a lot of parents treat them like children up until they turn 18, then all of a sudden they have to act like an adult and they don't know how. The teenage years are a transition from childhood to adulthood over a period of years, not a sudden change dictated by law.

[QUOTE=gamefreek76;36105931]Teenagers should have as much freedom as their parents are willing to allow them. Teenagers are not completely legally liable for their actions, their parents are. If they fuck up, it's their parents who ultimately pay the price.[/QUOTE] What if they're parents have the mindset of a parent of the 1950's?

[QUOTE=bucketofshrimp;36105991]I think it's curfews are fine but 11 pm seems kind of late for teens to be barely going indoors. I think it should be lowered to at least 10 pm.[/QUOTE] i literally can't understand this post

[QUOTE=TestECull;36105694]Some things should be relaxed. Curfews for example. The teens you aim to keep off the streets with the curfew just break it anyway, or they go to their desired party before curfew. I also think school requirements should be a bit more lax. If I had the choice I would have gone straight from middle school to a tech school, but because state law said I had to go to high school first I had no choice but to learn a bunch of inconsequential bullshit. Thus, I think they should relax the rules a bit, any school should count towards being in school instead of the traditional 4-year high school. Other things should be tightened up. No teenager should be in, for example, an Escalade. It's just too much car for someone that inexperienced. If they want to drive it anyway they need to get a special endorsement on their license that comes with completion of a course that teaches them how to handle large, heavy, bulky, topheavy vehicles. They shouldn't be allowed in anything with >250HP either, because again they're just too inexperienced to handle something that powerful, and again if they insist they should be able to take a course that proves they actually can safely handle such a car before being allowed to drive one on public highways. There should also be mandatory driver's ed in all 50 states, here in TN the state leaves that entirely to the parents.[/QUOTE] I kind-of agree, but disagree with the car statement. There are some kids, like me, that are able to handle a fast car. I started off driving with a slightly modded 1997 Mustang Cobra. I drove it for 6 months and never got a ticket, accident, or any sort of trouble with it. Now I have a 2012 Focus along with the Cobra, and this is about a year and a half later. Still no Tickets, accidents, or any trouble.

I believe the voting age should be raised, at least in the US, maybe to 21 or as high as 25. While I know there are some exceptions, I don't believe that the majority of teenagers are properly equipped with the knowledge to make these decisions.

Teens are most unstable type of people; seldom one can control himself like an adult, even though I am completely against, this is the most rational. Things should stay like they are.

this debate question is fucking terrible, how do you define 'freedom'? the ability to make their own choices in society? free will doesn't exist i'm afraid, there is no evidence to support that your choices aren't entirely effected by outer stimulus, kids don't have a magical computer in their head that tells them to do shit that goes against what society would place upon its moral compass. bad seeds arent born that way, they're conditioned into it by their parents and their overall environment, if kids were given a [I]real[/I] education instead of 'READ THIS AND RECITE IT ON A TEST PAPER' and were encouraged to know that learning can actually be interesting and fun, as long as they are educated in what they actually find interesting in the first place, i think giving kids unlimited freedom would be the best opening to innovation mankind would ever see. rebellions in teens? how naive and silly. you can do all these placeholder things like raise drinking age, driving age, voting age or whatever the fuck but the only way you can solve a problem is by going at it to the SOURCE. not slapping some batshit insane law over the top, that's what bureaucrats sipping champagne and dining on caviar do for a living so that they can pretend that their laws make a positive impact on society.

[QUOTE=Kman1;36069686]Its gotta be a case by case thing. There are teens who are model citizens. There are also teens who should be locked up.[/QUOTE] This. [editline]28th May 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=bucketofshrimp;36105991]I think it's curfews are fine but 11 pm seems kind of late for teens to be barely going indoors. I think it should be lowered to at least 10 pm.[/QUOTE] I don't understand your logic. I work until 12am every night so honestly, curfew doesn't make any sense to me. I'd love to see how a curfew makes sense at all to anyone though, if you're going to break the law, you're not going to give a shit about a silly curfew. That's like expecting a serial killer not to care if he steals the dosh from one of his victims wallets, he already fucking murdered the sod, why would he care if he took $20 from him?

[QUOTE=Noble;36108150]I believe the voting age should be raised, at least in the US, maybe to 21 or as high as 25. While I know there are some exceptions, I don't believe that the majority of teenagers are properly equipped with the knowledge to make these decisions.[/QUOTE] They changed the voting age to 18 because people realized it was retarded to let/make people go off to war and yet not be able to vote

I think it mostly comes down to whether or not parents do a good job at raising their kids. I had quite a large degree of freedom while I was growing up, and I wasn't a complete cunt about it or anything because my parents did a good job in raising me, teaching me right from wrong, and all that kind of stuff. Sure, every once in a while I was a brat, I did something I shouldn't have, but 99% of the time when I was given the freedom to do whatever the hell I wanted I'd be reasonable about it.

Where I live parents force their children to do bad stuff simply because they know the law protects them. The funny thing is the children don't want to do it (because they are always doing the same thing and it gets boring) but have to do it or their parents punish them. I kind of feel bad for the children because they didn't choose to have assholes as parents but no one can tell them how to raise their kids.

I think curfews are stupid. Seems pointlessly freedom-restricting to stop people from going outside just because of what time it is. Tonnes of times when I'm at a friend's house we'll head down to the petrol station at 2am to get food/drinks and that kind of shit.

It's not the government's job to raise your child, if they turn out to be a failure or act like a spoiled brat it's your own fault.

Where do they have curfews and what ages/times are we talking about.

[QUOTE=Canuhearme?;36136235]It's not the government's job to raise your child, if they turn out to be a failure or act like a spoiled brat it's your own fault.[/QUOTE] a child has no choice who it's raised by. the government should do everything in its power to ensure children are raised to be calm, confident, open minded thinkers. if you left everything to the tv and parents with no external input there would be a fame and money obsessed idiots and criminals.

[QUOTE=Bobie;36144146]a child has no choice who it's raised by. the government should do everything in its power to ensure children are raised to be calm, confident, open minded thinkers. if you left everything to the tv and parents with no external input there would be a fame and money obsessed idiots and criminals.[/QUOTE] Common criminals and vapid idiots are not the product of a secure family environment. If anything, an over-reliance on the government to raise your children while the parents ignore their needs is an easy way to creating yet another gangbanger.

That's for the family to decide.

[QUOTE=Canuhearme?;36145197]Common criminals and vapid idiots are not the product of a secure family environment. If anything, an over-reliance on the government to raise your children while the parents ignore their needs is an easy way to creating yet another gangbanger.[/QUOTE] well then your product would fall under one of my earlier points, on education. not just educating children, but ensuring that parents are adequately educated to know what they can, can't and should do

it is not about the freedom -- but how much responsibility they have. so it is a good idea to give them "small freedom" at first and as soon as they prove they can handle it - more autonomy can be given along the way.