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By Harriette Halepis

A recent study has shown that the human brain is not fully developed until age twenty-five. This means that teenage brains aren’t entirely equipped to make hefty decisions. In fact, the teenage brain is still under the stages of important development when it makes life changing decisions.

Teenagers are asked to shoulder all kinds of responsibilities. From taking care of younger siblings to driving carefully, teens are expected to behave as adults would. There’s only one problem – teenagers aren’t adults no matter how much they may act and look like adults.

Teen Driving

The use of GPS tracking devices to track teenage driving habits has been in the news a lot lately. Some parents and organizations feel as though this is the best way to control teens behind the wheel. Others protest that teenagers should not be attached to a GPS tracking leash.

Those that believe teens should have complete freedom also believe that attaching a GPS tracking device to a teenager’s car is a violation of human rights. However, given the fact that we now know that the teenage brain is not fully developed, should we not pay more attention to those children that are responsible for driving a car?

A Parent’s Choice

As toddlers, parents are given the right to determine what is (and isn’t) good for their children. They are asked to keep track of children, make sure that a child’s needs are met, and keep children from all kinds of harm.

As teenagers, parents are expected to give teens more freedom than toddlers. They are asked to give teens responsibilities, allow them to make their own judgement calls, and to drive on roads filled with hundreds of other people. Shouldn’t a parent have the right to attach a GPS tracker to a teen’s car in order to protect them?

How Much Freedom?

While it’s fine to allow teenagers the freedom to make a lot of choices, how much freedom should teens have? Should parents turn a blind eye to speeding and drinking while driving? Or, should parents take the initiative to control a teen that has just begun to drive?

The fact remains that a teenager’s brain is not comparable to an adult brain. If a parent decides that a GPS tracker may keep their teen out of trouble, shouldn’t this be their right? For now, parents can track teens freely, though this may change as more and more people see GPS tracking as a violation of a teenager’s rights.