Is The Texas Legislature Trying to Raise Texas' Youth?

In an article that i read lawmakers were been accused of targeting teens in many of the recent bills, for example, they want to prohibit any driver under 18 from texting or talking on a phone while driving, make driver education classes more intense, prohibit anyone younger than 16½   from using a tanning bed, if you are 16½ - 18 years old you need a parent to sign a consent form. They also proposed to raise the legal age to buy cigarettes from 18 to 19, and for anyone under 18 participating in rodeo activities they are required to wear a helmet during the activities. The current curfew for 16 year olds when driving, is to be off the streets before 12, but now they are proposing to change the curfew to 10 p.m. for 16 and 17 year olds. 

Honestly, i think the Legislature is spending way to much time on things that really are none of their business. They are trying to control everything and this is supposed to be the country that promises freedom and that there is a separation of society and state. Whether a kid wants to go to a tanning salon and is allowed to go by their parents then they should be allowed to go without being questioned and asked for parents to sign consent forms. Although tanning can lead to health problems, it is up to the kids to realize it for themselves and not have the government ban things from them. It is almost as if they are not letting teens mature and know how to make decisions by themselves. There will always be danger everywhere and it is not the government's job to raise kids the right way, rather the parents. I don’t think government should be able to have so much power over the rules that parents are supposed to set for their own children.

I come from Mexico and my youth was incredible, we were free to roam the streets, play and do whatever we want. This was how i learned to think for myself and when to back down from situations. Now, i know Mexico is not the best country right now, but to my knowledge, Europe, and many other countries give more freedom to their youth and they are perfectly well off. When a child is banned from doing something or obligated to follow a certain procedure when doing things is completely up to the parents not the government. Not only that, but the Legislature has far more important things to do than worry about raising the smoking age, raising the driving curfew of minors, tanning rules, or drivers education classes. There are far more important things for them to be discussing rather than coming up with pointless laws that are depriving the youth of doing whatever they are allowed to do by there parents or guardians.