By: Eric de Guzman
Students at MHS walked out of classrooms in solidarity for the Parkland shooting on Mar 14, 2019. And with such tragedies directly affecting high schoolers, it may seem only right that we should have a say in choosing how the country should be run and who should be in charge.
However, although many students under 18 have strong feelings about politics, it is not so certain that most students are informed enough to go to the polls and make such an important decision. People usually don’t fully develop the prefrontal cortex, responsible for rational decisions, until their 20’s, let alone 16 or 17.
Generally, students under 18 don’t do a lot of research either in regards to their political stance. Especially in the “social” media age, us screenagers can find it very easy to latch on to the views of those around us or those of our favored media outlets, without looking much further into the facts. You are not going to find many students digging deep into, say, a presidential candidate’s practical legislation or long term plans.
The vote of a student under 18 can also be very susceptible to parental influence, as they are still living at home. Either a parent will have conditioned their children to lean toward their vote, or students may develop opposing opinions for the sake of rebellion.
High schoolers also do not have many of the privileges, responsibilities, and experiences that adults do. Until they reach the age of 18, students will experience restrictive policies on labor and driving. In addition, most students have not yet made important financial decisions such as paying taxes or tuition. Without real-life experience, how can students be expected to make decisions concerning the whole nation and its complex economic and social issues?
Of course, there are bound to be some students under the age of 18 that have a better understanding of politics, maybe even more than some adults. But for the most part, study and Instagram should be enough to keep students’ minds occupied. It may not take more than a government class to become a politician, but it may take a little more than that to truly address the needs of our country.