According to Article 2 1 of the Youth Protection Act, people under 19 are teenager. Recently, many young people were involved in various crimes including sex crimes and violent crimes. As a result, the legal age of teenagers has become an issue: whether the legal age should be lowered or whether teenagers should be held accountable for certain crimes like adults. However, no official policy has been announced. So I wanted to listen to the opinions of students at Changwon University before the government's official announcement. Let's find out what students at Changwon University think about 'Is it right to lower the legal age of teenagers?'

Agreements

* Everyone must be responsible for oneself. I think we should let teenagers live with responsibilities.

* Oppression is not right. Human beings are oppressed, and there are many social problems and circumstances that arise from it. This is not to say that the problem of juvenile delinquency and single mother should be neglected. First of all, we should give freedom to young people. They should be responsible for their action no matter their age. In other words, they should be free to do anything. I think we should apply a much heavier punishment than the punishment the current law does for the events that have occurred.

* I think it is right to lower the legal age of teenagers. Age can be a measure of maturity, but it's not absolute, so I think it's okay to lower it.

* Mental maturity is accelerating with the improvement of educational standards Therefore, I think it is okay to grant rights and responsibilities at a lower age. However, the standards for adults should not be drastically lowered. Certain acts (such as crimes) may need to be adjusted separately.

* Our country is more influenced by parents than by Western society. Teenagers in Korea only do what their parents tell them to do when they are young. Of course, there are exceptions, but most of them go to school without thinking about it, and they just listen to cramming their education without knowing why they have to study. On the other hand, lowering the age of legal adults will make people more self-reliant and allow them to think freely. This will create a new lifestyle for teenagers. The society that parents went through is different now. We are In a society where new things are created and changed every day, we should seek freedom rather than oppression.

Opposition

* Rather than lowering the legal age, I think we should reduce the legal age set forth in the Youth Protection Law. Age is not a matter of adulthood or infancy. The problem is that teenagers abuse the law under the cover of the Youth Protection Act, even though they are at an age when they can recognize what they are doing. So I think we should reduce the legal age of protection.

* If the legal age is lowered, students who attend high school will be legally allowed to drink and smoke as adults. If so, it will be a big problem in school life, and they may not be able to take responsibility for their actions. They'll probably make a mistake.

* There are exceptions, of course, but when you're young, emotions get the best of you. When emotions predate the reason, one can be swayed and believe that the wrong information is true. In short, teenagers don't have much experience and don’t know much yet. That would increase the chances of making the wrong choice while voting. That will be the case not only in elections but also in sexuality. Many adults also often fail to make the right choice when it comes to sexuality. If young people get a lot of freedom at an early age, they may make the wrong choice. Alcohol will also hamper their studies, and their academic performance will drop.

By Seo Seong-il reporter

▲ Opposition or Agreement percent of ‘Lower the Legal Age of Teenagers’

Seo Seong-Il, reporter  qlvmfl99@naver.com

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