What youth rights means to me

(First published in a Facebook thread earlier this year...)

1. I believe any law that treats people differently because of their age is inherently unjust. Lowering age limits is a step in the right direction, but ultimately laws should be based on individual competence/experience rather than age.

Every age-based law uses age to stand in for some other quality that's harder to measure, like the ability to drive a car safely or cast a meaningful vote. The authors of those laws know they'll needlessly deny rights to some people on the wrong side of the line, but they're fine with that because it's easier, faster, and cheaper than dealing with people on a case-by-case basis.

Instead, we should take the time to define those qualities, explain why they're necessary for whatever rights we want to restrict, and devise tests that can be applied to individuals. If we can't come up with a definition or a test, we should take that as a sign that the quality doesn't really exist, and give the right to anyone who wants it.

2. I think the most fundamental YR beliefs are:

We should judge people by who they are as individuals, not by their ages. Therefore, laws should not discriminate by age, and ageism in business or private life should be treated the same way as sexism or racism.

Unfair discrimination does not become fair or acceptable merely because it only happens for a limited time, or because everyone has been the victim of it at some point, or because it's more convenient than the alternative for those who perpetuate it.

No matter what we might think we know about how someone's interests will change in the future, their interests today are what count. We should not prevent someone from making an informed choice merely because we think they'll regret it later.

Parents, teachers, and other adults who are responsible for the care of young people have their own interests which sometimes conflict with the interests of those they care for. Therefore, granting rights or political power to adult caretakers is not a substitute for granting it to young people.

Young people, especially teenagers, are usually better equipped to make decisions about their own lives than they're given credit for. Ageism has led to millions of young people being denied essential human rights based on false assumptions about their competence. This results in real suffering and loss of human potential that is not widely recognized.

The psychology and physiology of middle-aged adults should not be the standard by which everyone is judged. Younger (or older) people may have different priorities or show different patterns of brain activity, but unless their conclusions are objectively wrong, that is only evidence of a difference, not a flaw.