Runaway laws for teens should be abolished

1. 13 year olds working 1. How would a 13 year old live off of 20 hours of week of minimum wage, with no credit, no parental support and still succeed in schooling? Before World War II, people finished school at 8th grade (excluding higher education). College students still succeed and they are not subject to the same restrictions high schoolers are. 2. Teenagers that run away are not walking into a healthy transition, but rather are likely making an emotional decision to leave a dysfunctional situation. If their situation is dysfunctional, they should not be forced to stay in it. What if an 18 year old is leaving a dysfunctional situation? They are not subject to the same laws. In the UK, youths can move out at 16. 3. 75% of homeless or runaway youth drop out of school. We can offer alternative services to help them support themselves. 4. 20,000 youths are forced into prostitution through human trafficking networks every year. 62% of confirmed sex trafficking victims are 25 or older. 5. There is somewhere between 1.3 and 1.7 children currently homeless in America today. We need to resolve that issue. 2. Teens suing. 1. Where would a 13 year old obtain thousands of dollars to sue? Many 18 year olds don't have the money to sue but they still can sue and be sued. Also, even adults can obtain a free attorney (public defender) if they can't afford one. A minor can hire a "you don't pay unless I win" attorney. When a minor wins a lawsuit and has the money to pay for a lawyer, the minor can pay. 2. Even if jobs were opened up to 13 year olds they still would have no skills, limited time and minimal development of higher cognitive functions. Some have the same cognitive functioning as adults. 3. The expectation that lawyers would do pro bono work for teenage civil suits is also ludicrious. Lawyers like any profession need to make money in order to be successful, and civil suits initiated by minors who would not have the ability to pay is not the kind of opportunity that would engender interest. Again, a minor can hire a "you don't pay unless I win" attorney. When a minor wins a lawsuit and has the money to pay for a lawyer, the minor can pay. 3. Is Adolescence a real thing? Teen pregnancy studies began in the 20th century. Teen mothers have existed throughout history and many of their children did fine. 1. Your source also does not take into account the incredible reorganization of our brains that takes place. That study on the teen brain did not take into account the environment that shape teens brains. If we compared the brains of teens in countries where they don't go to school and marry young, or brains of teens before the industrial revolution, we might see differences. 2. While the rates of development may differ from teenager to teenager, and may indeed be influenced by their experiences, it cannot be denied that there is a vast difference between a brain like mine (at 25 years of age) and the brain of a 13 year old. Yes it can. 3. Also, these radical measures do not take into account that there are in fact emancipation laws that exist in most states. Not all states allow emancipation. In states that allow emancipation, a minor must be at least 16, so a 14 year old cannot get emancipated. A minor has to be able to support himself to qualify, which is very hard because a minor can work for limited hours, they have to be living on their own for X months, what if their parent's don't allow them to move out? And there is also a criteria that emancipation must be "in the minor's best interests" and "best interests" is ambiguous and discretionary.