Scottish Independence Referendum Pros And Cons

Anarchy. Disorder. Turmoil. This would be the result of a society that bends its laws to the whims of teenagers. As a connected and powerful world, we need to make sure that we make the best decisions for the well-being of the people. And this doesn’t include lowering our voting age for teenage participation. Voting age has recently come up as a hot topic due to the Scottish independence referendum in 2014. The referendum allowed sixteen-year-olds to vote for the country’s independence and have a say in the big decision. This pushed other countries to reevaluate their current positions on how old one should be in order to vote. As excitement builds on both sides of the critical situation, it leaves one thinking: Would I really trust important

This being said, the teenage brain is not fully mature yet. Definitely not developed enough for the country to be placing its’ future in the hands of teenagers. Harvard graduate and neurologist Francis Jensen says, “[Teens] aren't yet at that place where they're thinking about — or capable, necessarily, of thinking about the effects of their behavior on other people. That requires insight" (Knox). For one to see the bigger picture-- how one thing affects another-- requires observation, intuition, and as Jensen says, insight; something that most teens don’t quite

Many teens are still struggling with separating right from wrong within their own personal lives, that it doesn’t leave much time for them to be thinking rationally about government and politics. Furthermore, it doesn’t matter how well a child does on tests or SATs or ACTs. At the tender ages of sixteen and seventeen, teens are still very susceptible to being easily persuaded by viral/social media and people that they look up to. In general, most teens at sixteen and seventeen just aren’t ready to take on the responsibility of voting with a knowledgeable and cognizant mindset. Though fully grown adults may make the same mistakes, teens are young, impressionable, and much more inclined to make errors during