Govinda Dasu
The age of legal consent should be lowered from 18 to 16. April 24, 2012
Govinda Dasu I definitely think so. If kids can legally drive at 16 and can essentially go anywhere they want by themselves at this age, they shouldn't have to sign consent forms to go on say school trips. The school should not have to be responsible for kids 16 or older.
Harsha Tolappa Depends on what kind of "consent" you're talking, but the age of sexual consent varies from state to state. It's 17 in Illinois, but 18 in Wisconsin, for example. You just can't be transporting kiddies over state lines to circumvent those rules; the courts frown upon that.
Bridget Nixon I agree that it is strange to be 18 but that I still have to have my parents sign school trip forms; however, in a broader sense, I would disagree to lowering the age of consent. The frontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for decision-making, doesn't fully mature until approximately age 25, far beyond age 18, let alone 16. For other conditions that fall under the term "age of consent," such as when you may be tried as an adult, or when you are legally allowed to have sex, or even when you begin seeing an internal medicine physician rather than a pediatrician. Additionally, most 16 year olds still live with their parents, under their care (not saying all-- there are obviously outstanding circumstances) but why would a child, which is what we are at 16, be able to make legal decisions for him or herself? Without even a high school education under his or her belt? To me, that is absolutely ridiculous.
Bradley Stoll At the ripe age of 11, with my 13 year old sister, the two of us traveled on a Greyhound Bus from MN to FL and back. Nobody asked us a single thing; no one approached us. We met other children our age also travelling across the country. Of course, this was back in 1976-7...I miss the good old days. This would never happen nowadays...at least I wouldn't trust my own children to do what I had to do at their age.
As for legally driving at 16, not so fast. You can't get your license at 16 w/o your parents sign-off. And, even it you do get it, there are many restrictions upon who, if anyone, can ride with you. As a wise man once said, "As long as you live under my room, you will obey my rules!"
16 is an age to be a kid and do kid things; this means screwing up and making mistakes, that hopefully you learn from and don't cause irreversible damage.
