The changing world of the British teenager
Not so long ago they were treated simply as mini-adults but today’s teens are governed by complex regulations
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
Published
Comedian Harry Enfield created stereotypical teenagers in 1990 with his character Kevin, left, and his best friend Perry
(Image credit: George Bodnar / Comic Relief / Getty Images)
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More young people will be able to vote in the next general election but many of them won’t be able to smoke on the way home – Keir Starmer’s reign has signalled drastic changes in the lives of British teenagers.
While rights and participation have been expanded by lowering the voting age to 16, young people are also facing increased protection and regulation, with limits being imposed on tobacco and social media use.
Smoking
Children aged 17 or younger face a lifelong ban on buying cigarettes after the Tobacco and Vapes Bill became law in April.
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Now anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 cannot legally buy tobacco products in the UK. The new law also strengthens restrictions around vaping products aimed at children.
“The world-leading legislation means today’s children will never legally be sold cigarettes, breaking the cycle of addiction and disadvantage that has persisted for decades,” said the government.
But pushback has come from conservatives and from members of the tobacco industry. Nigel Farage told The Telegraph in March that if Reform ever comes into power, the law would be scrapped.
Voting and consultations
The government will reduce the minimum voting age to 16. The registration age will be moved to 14, to help make sure that young people can be fully registered and have the opportunity to vote even if an election falls on or shortly after their 16th birthday.
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Young people “represent the future of our country”, said the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government. “Decisions the government makes now” will “affect young people today” and “have an enduring impact on their entire lives”, so it’s “only right and fair” that younger people can vote.
For those supporting the change, the move is seen as a massive expansion of civic education, primarily in schools. But as Harriet Andrews, a campaigner for young people’s democratic engagement, told the Institute for Government in May: “Provision is really quite patchy and it’s a real lottery.”
As well as their direct involvement in voting, teenagers have been consulted in other ways. The recent online safety proposals were accompanied by consultation responses from young people themselves, reflecting a broader trend towards involving young people in decisions that affect them.
Social media
The government announced in June that it will ban under-16s from accessing a range of platforms, including TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram. The government hopes to “pass regulation before Christmas”, said former PM Keir Starmer, with the ban coming into force in spring 2027.
Older teenagers will face an overnight social media curfew, meaning apps such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube will be unavailable by default to 16- and 17-year-olds between midnight and 6am.
The moves follow “growing pressure from campaigners to make the online world safer for young people”, said the BBC. They’re “part of an international trend of governments restricting who can access social media”.
Everything else
There is still, though, no real consensus on the age of maturity into adulthood in the UK. British teens turning 16 can have sex if they want, unless it’s with someone in a position of “trust and responsibility” like a teacher. But they can’t watch other people having sex in pornographic films until 18.
They can’t drive on public roads until they are 17 and can’t drink alcohol until they reach 18. Since 2023, teens have to be 18 to be married or enter into a civil partnership.
Teens can start enlisting in the military when they are 15, but are not able to engage in combat until 18. And in education English pupils must stay in school or training until the age of 18. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, they can give up learning at 16.
“Confused? How do you think teens feel?” said Rosa Prince on Bloomberg. And with all of the changes from Starmer’s government “it’s getting worse”.
Chas Newkey-Burden has been part of The Week Digital team for more than a decade and a journalist for 25 years, starting out on the irreverent football weekly 90 Minutes, before moving to lifestyle magazines Loaded and Attitude. He was a columnist for The Big Issue and landed a world exclusive with David Beckham that became the weekly magazine’s bestselling issue. He now writes regularly for The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Independent, Metro, FourFourTwo and the i new site. He is also the author of a number of non-fiction books.