One-word teens dread hearing from their parents is ‘No going out. They know the meaning of such terms very well and how their freedom will be affected thereafter. Teens are already in their adolescence and they see this as the perfect time to break the chains of house arrests and explore their world.
It’s also the time when they are exposed to the dark side of the world. Most teens start taking drugs and being involved in careless sex at this age. For that reason, governments may choose curfew as a way of preventing all that in advance.
So do you think teenage curfew has some advantages and disadvantages? Before you take this measure, verse yourself with the pros and cons of a teenage curfew.
Pros
1. The families will have access to specific services they need-One of the biggest pros of a teenage curfew is that the teenagers are allowed to access specific services they require. In San Diego for example, curfew violators will have the option of entering a diversion instead of dealing with the fines. Teenagers will be connected with vocational training, social services, and community activities.
2. Some exceptions-For teenagers who want to be out for specific reasons during the curfew, there are exceptions. Although some teenage curfew laws don’t provide exceptions, most of them will factor in the need for specific services during the curfew hours.
3. Teenage safety-The The safety of our teens is paramount. One thing you have never known is that a child will go missing every 40 seconds in the US. One major advantage of this curfew is the safety of the children.
4. The laws that teach teens about responsibility-Teenagers are at their main development stage where they need to learn about responsibilities. These laws impact their lives in such a way that they can learn to be responsible for their actions.
5. Peace of mind to parents– knowing the parents are okay and safe gives parents peace of mind. The parents rest assured that their kids are in safe environments.
6. These laws help children understand boundaries-These laws set a boundary where these teens cannot cross. For that reason, the children will learn their boundaries easily.
7. Parental control-Parents have some busy schedules, which leave them with little time to restrict their children. The reason children under the age of 18 years are called minors is that they are still in their fast-growing stage.
8. Structured Life-These laws make children more energetic, curious, and grow their passion. They may tend to lose control and also face difficulties in making decisions. These laws make them more structured and better.
9. It prevents juvenile Delinquency-teenagers may choosing to sneak out of the house sometimes. With such curfew laws, this will be very difficult. For parents, this is an achievement.
10. They easily gain more knowledge about laws-restricting children from doing some things educates them on how to obey laws. This shapes them into responsible citizens thereafter.
Cons:
1. Negligible effect on crime-we has information about teenage curfew from as early as 1983 which shows it has a negligible effect on the reduction of juvenile crime. This shows that most juvenile crimes happen in the afternoon. What this indicates is that there are few effects on the crime numbers.
2. It promotes autocratic– there’s research showing that authoritarian parenting has a negative effect on the way children grow. Creating instructions can create more rebellion.
3. Teenage serve as a scapegoat for everything happening in the community-Everything that happens in the community will be blamed for such curfews.
4. The law enforcement targets teenagers-Another con is that teenage curfew targets teenagers too much. The government may fail to prevent juvenile crime but still have the energy to target the kids.
5. Government obsession with the less important things-the government may put all their energy on teenage curfew and enforcing such laws and forget serious things affecting the security and economy.
6. Force sense of security– it’s very serious when parents and authorities concentrate on putting all the laws on curfew and forget that it’s not a cure-all against the problems teenagers experience.
7. It hinders maturity-The the teenagers might have issues maturing well. Children in many cases will just observe the curfew to avoid punishment.
8. Unconstitutional-Most jurisdictions practicing teenage curfew don’t have constitutional guidelines of the same.
9. Discrimination-Teenage curfew discriminates between adults and teenagers, which is not healthy at all.
10. It’s costly-For the government to enforce the teenage curfew, they are likely to incur costs that are not very necessary.
