Top 10 Rights that Children and Teenagers Should Have

Many adults are paranoid that young people will make immature decisions, yet it was adults who elected Donald Trump from The Apprentice as our president. There's no need to be paranoid - kids who decide to vote would be passionate about the issues and would know how to take politics seriously. People once said women weren't capable of voting either, and those people are on the wrong side of history.

Children and teenagers live in society and are affected by the laws of the country just like adults. Anytime you deny one group a voice, others will exploit them and abuse their power over them.

We want to stand up and voice our opinions, but if we do, it's called "talking back," "rebellion," or "disrespect."

First of all, some people don't want us to have opinions but get angry when they ask us for them. Second, if no one fought against Britain, there would be no United States, and they were called rebels. THINK ABOUT THAT. Third, we aren't respected. No one I know could be treated like a domesticated animal and still have respect for the person who treated them that way. Respect is to be earned, not forced.

Schools imprison more people than all the jails in the world combined. Kids are forced to work like slaves for a dozen years of their lives. They are seen only as future workers, not as human beings with the right to make decisions and live their lives as they choose. Some kids actually like school, but most do not, and they should have an equal voice in how their community is run.

There are many "democratic schools" (in America, many of these schools are called "Sudbury schools"). Kids in these schools actually have an equal voice in their lives and aren't forced to attend classes or do homework. Let's hope these democratic schools grow and become more influential.

Kids shouldn't have to stay in a home if they feel oppressed or abused. They should have the right to leave if that's how they feel. Also, what kind of flawed process forces a kid to live with one parent when they clearly want to live with the other?

Teenagers can learn to manage money and learn how to save or spend it.

Teenagers have some property rights, but they cannot manage it, and parents can still sometimes claim their child's property. This makes minors powerless in front of adults, and when one person has absolute power over someone else, they will always abuse that power.

If this was allowed, who knows what they would sue people for? Like, a kid would probably sue someone for not being their friend or other immature reasons. On the other hand, teenagers would probably sue for more mature reasons. I would say 13 and up would be better.

Minors cannot sue on their own (without a parent or guardian), so adults can destroy their property with no consequences.

If kids pass the driving test, why not let them drive? Soon enough, we'll have self-driving cars, and then there definitely won't be any excuse to keep young people from driving.

If we won't let kids drive, we should at least let them access public transportation for free.

Kids should be able to drive! Right now, the only things we can ride with wheels are bicycles, scooters, roller skates, etc.

Anime shirts and spaghetti straps may be fine. I really don't understand why schools don't allow them. It makes students comfortable with what they wear, but clothing with violent themes, like those depicting killing or guns, should not be allowed.

We have the right to disagree, but we just don't have the right to choose whether they buy a house or not. We can tell our parents, "No, I don't want to move," or, "No, I don't want to buy a new house," but we are not the ones who pay for it and the bills. If we were, that would be different. But we do not hold the responsibilities of a household.

Sometimes people move because they do not have the money to pay the bills, so they move to a smaller house. We have the right to disagree, just not the right to make the final decision, which is a good thing.

You don't protect kids by shielding them from the outside world. If parents don't like what their kids are watching, reading, or playing, they should explain what they think is wrong with it instead of banning it. Eventually, their kids will be exposed to it anyway.

True. Especially since the events in "adult" entertainment are only fiction, not reality. Education on the topic is also very important.

A lot of the time, kids are scared to speak out or make decisions because they are worried about how adults will respond and whether or not they will be taken seriously.

It's really scary because parents may not understand that what their teen is saying is serious.

Teenagers drink alcohol anyway, so they might as well do it in a safe environment.

I think teens could drink alcohol, but only in very small portions because their brains aren't fully developed.

If kids are mature enough to vote, they are mature enough to serve on a jury all day in court.