A lot of people think age limits should be lowered or made higher, here is our take on it

with+adulthood+comes+learning+how+to+plan+out+what+is+needed+to+do.+%0APhoto%3A+Isabelle+Wynne

with adulthood comes learning how to plan out what is needed to do. Photo: Isabelle Wynne

Teens all around the world have always been in a rush to be responsible; whether getting a job or a license. The age of when someone has responsibilities has always come with huge controversy. Everyone has always had different points of view. Some people or parents say that once you are 18 you need to be completely responsible because you are an adult, yet  Normally an adult is someone who can provide for themselves completely. Someone who lives on their own pays their bills and gets to work when needed on time. And not all 18-year-olds have those resources yet.

 

In Alan Greenblatt’s article “What Is the Age Of Responsibility”, he points out that “The prefrontal cortex and its links to other regions of the brain are not fully formed until age 25”. However, the formal legal age of being an “adult” is 18. If the decision-making part of the brain isn’t fully developed, why do some teenagers still make mature decisions when it comes to getting a job, driving another thing that comes with adulthood?

 

Well, a big part of it involves how a child is raised. If a group of children are raised independently they would be more likely to make logical decisions because it’s a past thing they had to do as a young person. If a group was the opposite (had more support from their parents growing up) and depended on them most of the time then the situation would be different and those adults would have to ask their parents for more help.

 

As known in the United States the legal drinking age is 21; yet in other countries, the legal drinking age can go down to as young as 16 years old, such as in Bolivia and Spain or not even have a minimum drinking age, like in China. Does it make a difference in responsibility with alcohol? 

 

In Britannica’s “Pro and Con: Lowering The Drinking Age” they name out a list of pros and cons to go off of. The minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) simply reduces the number of vehicle accidents and fatalities by 70 percent to 50 percent, saving 31,959 lives between 1974 and 2017. 

 

Lowering the MLDA to 18 would give young adults less thrill to break the law for a drink. There are good factors to each of them but it’s safer and more logical to keep the MLDA at 2. According to the CDC, they say when teenagers drink unintentional injuries occur such as drowning, falls, and car accidents, and if it was lowered to 18 it would be easier for teenagers all around to have access to alcohol, which would also lead to the chance of alcoholism from a young age as an adult. Which could be the root of so many other problems.

 

Since 1951 18-year-olds have been able to join the army, but there was a good clump when 18-year-olds weren’t able to vote. In 1971 the bill passed so they could vote for president of the United States. The main argument they used was making the point that if they were allowed to die for their country they should be able to vote for who controls it too. 

 

According to the writer Zachary Crockett in his story “The Case For Allowing 16-Year-Olds to Vote ” he mentions that only 19.9% of 18 to 19-year-olds voted, as well at only 46.7 of these voters registered. Which has been the lowest percentage since the 26th amendment.

 

16-year-olds should not have to worry about voting for who is running our countries they would live out their days as the youth. It is normal for them to start developing ideas for what they believe and at that point, they only have 2 years to wait to vote. In a way, it’s illogical to let 16-year-olds vote. Not only that but at 16 most teenagers are getting their license. That’s honestly a huge step.

 

Izzy Brooks, a senior at A-West she thinks she explains “I think the ages should all be the same. It doesn’t make sense to have them all be different. I believe when you are able to vote she should be able to drink as well.”

 

So many teenagers are consumed on whether they should be old enough to do something. Yes, there is an age where it’s okay to be held responsible for things they do. For instance, 16-year-olds teens are held responsible for Driving safely once they get their license. Yet voting is completely different than that.

 

Ages when one gets responsibilities and makes life-changing decisions should be kept the way they are, it seems to work pretty well. Most of the time teenagers stay out of trouble and grow into responsible adults and this system does a big part in helping them. Lowering the age requirements around the world could cause bigger problems in the future.