What are age restrictions, and how do they affect society?

Age restrictions prohibit licenced sellers from providing certain products to young people under current legislation, but this could be doing more harm than good.

Copyright: Dwayne Hards.

Teenagers have been smoking, vaping, and drinking with little-to-no difficulty for years despite many stores refusing to serve them under 18, 21, or 16. However, some have been made dependent on a crime-led market to access certain items, placing them at risk of criminal exploitation. This clearly suggests that reality needs to be considered — which seems to be ignored by many mainstream politicians — in a vast majority of countries around the world, giving younger generations safer options.

Many people have argued that age restrictions violate the right to individual liberty and the freedom to make independent decisions. However, others claim that governments have a duty to protect young people's health despite the fact that more harm appears to come from the licencing restrictions, such as: criminal markets, abuse, and corruption, as well as exposing our young to tampered products.

The law is said to protect the people of each nation. Yet, certain rules seem to be doing more harm than good — and so do the people responsible for them. However, despite this, some will never agree.