https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_majority

 

It''s currently 18, as you know - which is the age you can vote, and marry without parental consent, amongst other things - but should it be raised, lowered, or left where it is?

It should be left where it is but I would've put it at 21 if I were starting from scratch.

I'm happy with it being 18.

 

I certainly wouldn't have been comfortable with the legal responsibility that the AOM requires, at age 16.

 

It was 21 in the UK until 1970.

The current situation is a bit of an illogical mess. At 16 you can have sex but you cannot get married (without parental consent), see an X-Rated film (possibly rated for its sexual content) or buy an alcoholic drink. You can join the armed forces so, in the words of the song "You're old enough to kill but not for voting".

 

My preference would be for 16 to be the default age with some exceptions. For example, I would keep the age fro driving a car at 17.

 

Just for the record, I know some things are different in Scotland.

The problem is, there's no objective way of measuring emotional/intellectual maturity, so while some people will be mature enough to assume adult responsibilities at 16, there are others who can't handle them even at 21 (some never!), so 18 seems like a reasonable compromise to me.

The current situation is a bit of an illogical mess. At 16 you can have sex but you cannot get married (without parental consent), see an X-Rated film (possibly rated for its sexual content).

 

Or even film yourself having sex at 16-17, even if you are married to the co-participant. :wacko:

 

BTW, I would love to see a test case of the above scenario, as it would expose the absurdity of *that* law!

 

There are some benefits to it being 16, but then equally some peoppe around me dont know how to vote etc now in their early 20s :lol: I agree 18 is the sort of middle ground that fits well enough, if it was 16 I'd want much better political education in schools so that everyone was well equipped to vote and make the decisions. Obviously with other things it's a lot harder to judge.

There are things where 18 feels correct. I would like voting to be lowered nationally to 16 though.

I have never heard of AoM before, so I will vote 18.

 

For voting, 14, 15 or 16.

For voting, 14, 15 or 16.

 

I certainly wouldn't suggest as low as 14 - too little life experience at that age.

 

 

I am.not so sure about that. I think 14/15/16, with good civic classes, will be prepared to vote - thiugh how many would bother to exercise that right is another question entirely :lol:

14 year olds are definitely not mature enough to vote.

 

I'd keep it at 18 for the time being, but reduce it to 16 if schools gave a good non biased political education.

So if there was an election when someone is 17, they have no say for 5 more years?

 

At least at 16 it incorporates more, including those just not quite 18, and if someone is ALMOST 16, well at 21 they can vote and bw represented, rather than at 23.

Not necessarily, let's not forget snap elections can easily be called...

Not very often

So if there was an election when someone is 17, they have no say for 5 more years?

 

At least at 16 it incorporates more, including those just not quite 18, and if someone is ALMOST 16, well at 21 they can vote and bw represented, rather than at 23.

 

There's always going to be someone just to young to vote in a GE whatever age it is set at - I was 17y10m in 1983 when Thatcher was re-elected. :puke:

Ew :puke:

 

Yes and taking voting age down down gives more civic power to people in the longrun

18 and 18. Don't really feel inclined to want to change things as it stands

 

The current situation is a bit of an illogical mess. At 16 you can have sex but you cannot get married (without parental consent), see an X-Rated film (possibly rated for its sexual content) or buy an alcoholic drink. You can join the armed forces so, in the words of the song "You're old enough to kill but not for voting".

 

My preference would be for 16 to be the default age with some exceptions. For example, I would keep the age fro driving a car at 17.

 

Are X-rated films still a thing? I thought they were replaced by the "18" rating here (unless you're referring to some kind of film that my innocent little mind cannot comprehend).

 

The driving age of 17 seems a bit of an anomaly the more I think about it - you'd think that it would be something that would be either 16 or 18, and I can't think of any other things that become permissible at 17. It's 16 in America and some other countries, so could see the argument in reducing it to that age.

I'm old-fashioned so I still think of X-rated films :lol:

I have never heard of AoM before, so I will vote 18.

 

For voting, 14, 15 or 16.

 

Why 14, BTW?