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Lowering the voting age

Peter

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c628ep4j5kno

So the labour party apparently believes that 16 and 17-year-olds are old enough to vote. But not old enough to:

  • Leave school
  • Hold down a full-time job
  • Buy a plastic knife
  • Play the lottery
  • Buy alcohol
  • Smoke
  • Sue someone in court without permission
  • Get married (in England and Wales)
  • Watch porn
  • Make porn
  • Go to war
  • Stand for parliament

Now in my mind voting is one of the most adult things you can do. You are taking responsibility for the running of the country (indirectly). So my question, and it is a serious question for debate, if 16 and 17-year-olds can be expected to vote what other adult things could they reasonably expect to do.

For the record I personally am in favour of reducing the voting age but I do think it produces important inconsistencies that should probably be addressed. At the very least you should be able to stand in the elections you are voting for. If a 16-year-old can vote for an MP they should be allowed to be an MP.

Parents

  • Among neuroscientists, the consensus seems to be that the brain doesn't finish its progression from adolescence to maturity until around or after the mid-20s. Interesting snippets:

    From Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT):

    "As a number of researchers have put it, "the rental car companies have it right." The brain isn't fully mature at 16, when we are allowed to drive, or at 18, when we are allowed to vote, or at 21, when we are allowed to drink, but closer to 25, when we are allowed to rent a car".

    "According to recent findings, the human brain does not reach full maturity until at least the mid-20s".

    MIT - Young adult development project > Brain changes

    From University of Rochester Medical Centre:

    "Understanding the Teen Brain

    It doesn’t matter how smart teens are or how well they scored on the SAT or ACT. Good judgment isn’t something they can excel in, at least not yet. The rational part of a teen’s brain isn’t fully developed and won’t be until age 25 or so.

    In fact, recent research has found that adult and teen brains work differently. Adults think with the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s rational part. This is the part of the brain that responds to situations with good judgment and an awareness of long-term consequences. Teens process information with the amygdala. This is the emotional part.

    In teens' brains, the connections between the emotional part of the brain and the decision-making center are still developing—and not always at the same rate. That’s why when teens have overwhelming emotional input, they can’t explain later what they were thinking. They weren’t thinking as much as they were feeling."

    University of Rochester Medical Center - Understanding the Teen Brain

  • in reply to Bunny
    I'm a bit surprised to see such a one-size-fits-all statement being shared in a neurodivergent space. The idea that "the brain" universally matures in the mid-20s is a generalization that likely doesn't reflect the diversity of neurological development—especially among neurodivergent individuals.
    As far as I am aware, there isn’t just one type of brain, and framing development in such rigid terms risks being unintentionally ageist or dismissive of the lived experiences of those whose cognitive maturity may not align with typical timelines. Many autistic, ADHD, and otherwise neurodivergent people experience unique developmental trajectories that don’t fit neatly into neurotypical models. A 16 year old autistic person may very well be mature enough to vote, we don't know.
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  • in reply to Bunny
    I'm a bit surprised to see such a one-size-fits-all statement being shared in a neurodivergent space. The idea that "the brain" universally matures in the mid-20s is a generalization that likely doesn't reflect the diversity of neurological development—especially among neurodivergent individuals.
    As far as I am aware, there isn’t just one type of brain, and framing development in such rigid terms risks being unintentionally ageist or dismissive of the lived experiences of those whose cognitive maturity may not align with typical timelines. Many autistic, ADHD, and otherwise neurodivergent people experience unique developmental trajectories that don’t fit neatly into neurotypical models. A 16 year old autistic person may very well be mature enough to vote, we don't know.
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