acrylic on canvas / 20″ by 24″ / $399
Last week two articles about teens competed for my attention. One discussed lowering the voting age to 16 and the other was a scientific study of the brain saying that maturity is not complete until near thirty. What I read made me wonder about what level of brain development was necessary for 16-year-olds to vote. After reading this newsletter I do hope you will share your opinion.
Nancy Pelosi recently gave her support to lowering the voting age to 16. She, as do many others, says that 16 is the age when when interest in government is strongest. The National Youth Rights Association gives reasons why.
– Millions of youth are employed, volunteer, and assume adult responsibilities as care givers and financial contributors to their households. They pay taxes and have the right to drive a car.
– Adolescents are expected to follow the law but have no say in making it. 16-year-olds brought before the criminal justice system are tried as adults. Over 250,000 youth are incarcerated as adults each year.
– Teens form political action committees, manage campaigns, make donations, and advocate for rights. Greta Thunber, a 16-year-old from Sweden was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for organizing students in over 112 to tprotest against global warming. Parkland, Florida students challenged lawmakers to tighten gun control laws.
-Young people are good voters. In 2013, when Takoma Park, Maryland lowered its voting age to 16, 16 and 17-year-olds voted in greater numbers than 20 to 50-year-olds.
-16 and 17-year-olds care about issues that affect them and want politicians to pay attention to their concerns. They are hurt by demographic trends which overwhelmingly favor older voters. They see their future jeopardized by inadequate funding for schools, poor gun control and global warming.
– Adolescents shouldn’t be held to a higher standard than those over 18. In a democracy, it’s wrong to disenfranchise people because we disagree with them. Some Republicans worry that teachers are biased towards liberal ideas. Yet, civic classes are likely to teach youth how how to dig for truth and to analyze the pros and cons of issues.
Historically teens were considered adults. In medieval Europe, adolescents participated in apprenticeships and were expected to contribute to their family’s financial well-being. There are many examples of teen warriors. In 1212, children as young as 12 joined the Children’s Crusade. In 1340, Edward, Prince of Wales (The Black Prince) was 16 when he engaged the French army at Crecy. Joan of Arc as a teen inspired civilians and soldiers in Orleans, France to fight the English. More recently, in 2015, Jan Bowman-Davies, a 16 year old British captain helped his three man adult crew abandon ship as it started to sink.
Lowering the voting age has more support than many voters realize. Over 25 countries allow youth under 18 to vote. In the U.S., nearly half the states have tried to lower it. Legislation was recently introduced in Oregon to amend the constitution and lower the voting age from 18 to 16. If the bill passes, voters will decide to approve or disapprove during the 2020 election.
The above arguments favor lowering the voting age. Now, on to the adolescent brain.
According to Stanford Children’s Health, no matter how smart your teen is, good judgment is not something he or she can excel in. Recent studies show full maturity as delayed until thirty. To understand why, let’s look at how the adolescent brain develops.
The central brain along with the central nervous system develop during six major stages. The first four occur during gestation. The last two occur later, with growth continuing into adulthood. Maturity occurs from the back to the front of the brain. The frontal lobe (prefrotal cortex) is where complex decision-making, planning skills, impulse control, emotional reactions, focusing attention, and prioritizing information takes place. Its matures slowly during adolescence which is why many teenagers can’t access certain abilities until older.
During teen years the prefrontal cortex, begins to exert greater control, helping adolescents learn to think before they act. It handles higher-level cognitive abilities such as planning, solving problems, and making decisions. But, before the cortex fully matures, the amygdala, which controls emotions, is in charge. Teens with a large amygdala show aggression, fear and depression more intensely than adults.
Brain development is the root cause of adolescent behaviors that appear to be erratic.Some researches claim that adolescents are hardwired for risk-taking. In ancient times, that helped them deal with dangers in the wild. Today, aggressive behavior is more likely to translate into fighting or bullying, unsafe sexual behavior, alcohol or substance abuse, unsafe driving, and poor self care.
Compassionate, patient parents guide their children through the teen years and teach healthy coping mechanisms that satisfy the demands of the amygdala. For instance, the desire for emotional experiences can be satisfied with outdoor adventures, playing musical instruments, performing on stage, and even go-cart racing. Parents who jump in with advice or try to fix problems often make their teen less likely to trust them. They benefit when their parents show interest in what they are doing and are helped to overcome impulsive behaviors by being presented with facts and having discussions about possible consequences of their actions.
It is your turn to decide. I’ve not made up my mind. What do you think? Should the voting age be lowered to16? Please respond below. Your opinion matters.
Art is always for sale. Contact me at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com.
References:
Top Ten Reasons to Lower the Voting Age. National Youth Rights Association. retrieved from web site at https://www.youthrights.org/issues/voting-age/top-ten-reasons-to-lower-the-voting-age/
Vote16USA. retrieved from .https://vote16usa.org/5-reasons-for-lowing-voting-age-16/
Hains,T. (2019) Pelosi Supports Lowering Voting Age To 16, Real-ClearPolitics. retrieved from POLITICS
Doclspm.EK. (2019) Teen Climate Activist Greta Thunberg Hs Been Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Rolling Stone. retrieved from ACTIVIST
lou,M. (2019) Oregon may lower the voting age to 16.CNN Politics. retrieved from AGE.
Alvarez,S (2014) Teenagers at War During the Middle Ages Society for Medieval Military History. retrieved from http://deremilitari.org/2014/03/teenagers-at-war-during-the-middle-ages/
Jarus,O. (2013) Joan of Arc: facts and Biography. LiveScience. retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/38288-joan-of-arc.html
Spillett,R (2015) The incredible moment Britain’s youngest ship’s captain, 16, calmly helped his adult crew abandon ship as the vessel started to sink in rough seas. Daily Mail. retrieved from CAPTAIN.
(2018) the Facts about Teen Brain Development. Newport Academy. retrieved from BRAIN.
Understanding the Teen Brain Stanford Children’s Health. (2018) retrieved from web site at STANFORD.
Adamson, A. (2016) Brains May Not Yet Fully Mature Until After Age 30. Tech Times. retrieved from MATURE.
Wnuk, A. (2018) When the Brain Starts Adulting. Brain Facts.org. retrieved from FACTS.