Are teenagers too young to have children? What do their peers think of them? Young people discuss the pros and cons of teenage pregnancy with Children's Express reporters.
| Teenagers really shouldn’t have kids because it’s wasting their lives, and they are still kids themselves. |
Kerry Leigh, 12, Cowgate
If someone young in my family did get pregnant I don't think it would really affect me because it would be their choice. But if they were under-age I would think they were just being stupid. People should wait 'til they are around 21 when they are a proper adult before they get pregnant, although if teenagers don't want to have an abortion then they shouldn't be forced to. The right age to have a child is around 20/21. I might be ready to have a baby in my twenties or early thirties.
Michael Holland, 11, Blakelaw
I don't think that teenage girls should be pregnant under the age of 16 because it's unfair boys getting them like that when they don't want to have sex. Nobody under-age has been pregnant in my family. If someone in my family did get pregnant I think I would be very upset and my parents would flip.
I don't think the legal age to have a child is too young because people want to start a new life away from their parents and all that. Telling young people when they can and can't have children does not make them want to do it more because teenagers should have sex over 16. Parents should stick by their child because no matter what, that person is theirs. I think the right age to have a child is in the twenties.
Lindsey Marchant, 18, Cowgate
A teenager really shouldn't have kids because its wasting their lives, plus they don't have the maturity or other parent stuff needed because they are still kids themselves. I would be able to cope if either myself or someone close became pregnant because I think I am a bit more mature than half the other kids that have bairns, although in another respect, no, because I would not have the money for a child to give it security and clothes and that.
They shouldn't have an age limit on sex basically, because no matter what, people are having it. You can be mature enough to have a baby at a young age but my ideal age would be 22, because you have got to have your life basically before you have kids. I don't think I will ever be emotionally ready to have a baby. If young people discussed having a baby with their family before they slept together they could be advised by the parents on whether to use condoms or the pill.
Amy Wood,18, Cowgate
Young people should be taught more about contraception in schools and in youth clubs to try and prevent teenage pregnancy. Also, I think it's wrong because its babies having babies. I don't think I could cope if I fell pregnant, as I am not mature enough to have a child, even though I have been in a long term relationship and my boyfriend would support me. If I did fall pregnant I would be lucky to have my boyfriend stand by me because most boys would get a girl pregnant and they wouldn't want anything to do with her.
Most kids are having sex when they are 11 and 12 years old and that is far too young because they don't know what they are letting themselves in for. I don't think there is a perfect age to have a baby. As long as you are mature enough and can afford to give a child the best life. In fact, you can vote when you're 18, so why is it wrong to be a teenage mother at 18? I think girls over the age of 12 should be on the pill because they are starting to think about sex so I think they should be prepared and protected. I think I will be ready to have a baby when I am 21 or above.
About the team
This story was produced by Claire Riley, 14, Kirsten Caine, 12, and Zoe Marchant, 15. Junior Jury is a weekly column published in the Newcastle Evening Chronicle.
