[lily.]

And, here's my 3rd subject for some serious debate this evening: Age Limits.

- You can have sex, have a baby, get married, leave school, smoke and live in your own place at 16.
- You can drive a car at 17.
- Yet you can't drink, vote, or get a mortgage (unless that's changed) til you are 18.

So, what needs changed? Do these limits need brought into line, and if so, should they be raised or lowered?

[BigSister]

well smoking is going to be raised anyway to 18 soon i think maybe driving a car needs to be raised to maybe 18

[lily.]

I heard there was talk of raising the school leaving age to 18. If they do that, they may as well bring everything into line and make it 18.

But, that's easy for me to say, because I'm over 18. If I were 16, smoked, and looking forward to getting my driving licence next year, I may think differently.

[The_Hitman]

Just abolish all age limits to pressure parents into raising their children properly.

[Sunny_01]

I agree with the rise in age limits that is currently being discussed in parliament. I have always found it odd that kids could legally polute their lungs but couldnt drink, they could actually legally smoke but just not buy them??

I think that we could really benefit from having age limits of 18 to cover all sins really!

[Sophii3x]

TBH these age limits are always ignored

14 year olds are having sex, drinking, smoking and everything

I think driving needs to be raised, because there are some hooligans out there.

[Lauren]

I feel all age limits need to be moved up to 18. At the moment 13 year olds are going out drinking and having sex and many of them are thinking "It's only 3 years til I am 16 anyway" - I have to agree that these limits will not abolish any kind of ASB but I feel it will cut down on it.

Once people reach 18, I personally feel they've reached an age where they can make their own decisions based on an educated feeling, and if they then choose the wrong path - they're fully accountable for their actions, whereas 16 year olds are still children and can't really be held to account.

[Legend]

I think they should all be kept as they are. I don't think putting smoking upto 18 is going to stop under 18's buying them, it's not going to stop me. Nor has buying alcohol ever stopped me... people don't follow them and they won't now.

It's just making life harder for the shop people really, they're going to get harrased more by the 11 year old who want their cigs.

Oh and they're also changing the school leaving age to 18 too... it's stupid again. People should have the choice if they want to do an addition 2 years in school.

The driving age too is crap, is putting it up going to stop people joyriding? Has it stopped them up untill now? No. So why should it now?

It's a fact that people never follow the rules and it's going to make people more determined to break them.

It's more fun doing it when it's illegal. Not driving, i'd never do that obviously.

But yeah, i fit that 'is 16, smoked, and looking forward to getting my driving licence next year' category. Oh the fun.

[Ella]

Well to be honest the age limit of sex is ridiculous! I mean smoking, driving and Alcohol are all things the government can try and control, but stopping horny teenagers from having sex is never going to happen, the age that teenagers are losing there virginity os getting lower and lower I think the average age is 14 now. All the government can do in this case is tell the teenagers to be safe.

The smoking age is soon going to be 18, Which IMO won't help at all.

I know it's a cliche but...When your told you can't do sometihng, you go do it, and want to do it more.

[Razmataz]

Well, my arguement leads me to the back of a bus, the other day.

School kids were passing around a vodka bottle, this surely has to be kicked out, it's hardly like they need to drink because of stress is it?

These kids were also openly discussing the "length" of a certain guys package, and one was talking about her experiance with it and how he's 21. The girls were 13,14 years of age as they all had the year 9 badge on their blazers. [The school has a different embroided colour badge for every year of the school], and they were also talking about SAT's.

But the worrying thing for that is, a 21 year old with a 13/14 year old? This raising of the school leaving age/age of consent etc has got to be a good thing at knocking down Pervert rates?

The bothering thing is, girls at that age can flaunt and get sex whenever they like, from whatever age they like, a friend of my name named Charlie said "If I wanted sex right now, I'd be able to get it" and she's just turned 14. The government surely needs to toughen up it's act.

I also thing schools need to be changed.
All boy and All girl only schools should be brought back, tougher reforms. I think going back to the 1950's as a timescale/ not a technological one, is a very much needed thing. A good smack and a good well kept grounding should teach these kids they can live to the limits that are set.

On a personal side, losing my V at 17 and not drinking till I was 17, I saw as acceptable, now I'm not saying follow my lead but a lot of guys at 14/15 are moving quicker on girls, and girls are unknowingly being "raped" [meaning a girl is having a sex with a guy, but not really caring, but not giving consent to it, so the guy thinks it's ok].

The older generation [e.g parents,teachers] need to be tougher with laws, and on some occasions make kids feel like they're living in a prison, because that's where they'd go if they broke the law of consent.


Sorry this is exceptionally long, just had a lot to say.

[lily.]

Your views are pretty strong Ryan and no doubt controversial. I bet a few people on here will disagree with them. However, that's the whole point of a "debate".

I find it worrying that so many young girls (age 12/13) are strutting around like mini-hoe's. It's about self-respect. I'm not saying they should remain virginal but, FFS, have a bit of decency. Sex seems to be taken a lot more lightly than it was when I was that age. Again, I'm not claiming to have been angelic and virginal, but it was a big deal to have sex... and now, it seems to not be. That's the part that worrys me, especially since I have a daughter.

Edit to add: I am by no means tarring all young girls with the same brush, in case it comes across that way. I've spoken to a few young girls on here who have plenty of self-respect. I just wish all of them did.

[SiMoN!]

haha a Debate inspired be me

anyways like isaid t teels people - go and have a baby but you cant drive or drink

[lily.]

It is ludicrous Simon, and yes you inspired this debate.

Now, I'm munching on a biscuit to see if I can get inspiration for my next one...

[Sophii3x]

Originally posted by Jigsaw©
one was talking about her experiance with it and how he's 21.
But the worrying thing for that is, a 21 year old with a 13/14 year old?

Really!! a 13 year old with a 21 year old

But saying that the father of my 17 year old sister's baby is 36 years old with a wife and kids (two of his kids are my age) and took advantage of her when she was drunk in town

[Siouxsie]

Well I think the age limit should be 18 for everything instead of 16 for smoking 18 for drinking etc. This way we will all know where we were.

[James]

I don't agree with the government's plans to raise the school leaving age to 18 (although they describe it as compulsory education or training to 18, which is slightly different). For one thing a lot of people are not as academically inclined as government ministers would like to think.

But also, and I think more importantly I would say that young people are treated as children for too long.

It is possibly not a coincidence that juvenile delinquency has increased as the school-leaving age has increased. When people leave school they have to become a bit more responsible, with regards to money and so on.

They also mix with a wider range of people, and not just hang around in groups of their own age.

[Emilee]

Originally posted by Sophii3x

Really!! a 13 year old with a 21 year old

But saying that the father of my 17 year old sister's baby is 36 years old with a wife and kids (two of his kids are my age) and took advantage of her when she was drunk in town

Is that when she got pregnant??
So did she actually want the baby?
Thats aweful.