Switched-On Magazine

So everyone's either been considered or will be considered a part of the "youth" group at one point in your lives or another and was old enough to think for yourself (some people) yet you weren't allowed to do much on your own. This often seems to be the point in your life where you get some freedom to do some things but sometimes it just doesn't seem to be enough as you learn more about the options available to the so-called "adults" group. Youth right movement groups have been around since the time of civil rights, although they have evolved a lot over the years. However, the purpose remains generally the same: to remove the restrictions placed on youth by the age limitations and such. Although not many people will agree with this because there is a general vibe of immaturity related to youth which would required assistance from people who have had more life experience to help them make decisions. However, does this necessarily have to mean that they cannot make any choices on their own?

With the many age limitations in place, kids are often limited in terms of what activities they can participate in. Some are logical like the age limits on alcohol consumption and smoking since those can be detrimental for their health and they might not be aware of this until a certain age. However, this age discrimination causes the kids to be completely under the control of their parents and the "adults" until they are "of age" which does not seem to be quite fair. Take for example, field trip permission slips -- in order for anyone from a child to a teenager to go on a field trip the parents had to approve of it. This requisition may cause the student to lose their chance for a valuable experience just because they are under the control of their parents. There are also less formal ways of restriction such as parents not allowing their child to speak of certain things using their authority over the child -- but despite being less formal, this may be more repressive than other more formal forms of restrictions.

The youth are supposedly our future. If they are restrained in terms of what they can do right now -- how will they learn to make proper decisions when they grow older? It is not to say that they should be given absolute freedom but rather than restraining them, shouldn't older generations just guide them in a way that allows them to have more freedom?