Open a bank account. Get a full-time job. Get married and join the army - provided your parents say yes. All things you can legally do at the age of 16. And soon you may be able to vote.

Lowering the voting age to 16 was a key proposal in the Labour Party manifesto. The new prime minister, Keir Starmer, is committed to the idea. "If you can work, if you can pay tax, if you can serve in the armed forces, then you ought to be able to vote," he says.¹

Critics have accused the Labour Party of gerrymandering.² This happens when the party in power changes the voting system to suit them.

But the experience of neighbouring countries shows otherwise. Germany recently gave 16-year-olds the vote in European elections. The far-right AfD party tripled their support among young people, helped by popular TikTok videos.³

Results like this have led some to argue that schools should teach current affairs. The more teenage voters know about politics, the less likely they are to be swayed by extremist parties or viral trends on social media.

However, students in Britain already study political, economic and legal concepts in citizenship classes. Teaching the news might force schools to take a view on controversial subjects. In America, where political divides are deeper, it is deemed "safer to avoid current events".⁴

Once 16-year-olds are allowed to vote, that view may change. But the idea is not popular with the general public, with a majority opposing any change to the voting age.⁵

Democracy means everyone has the right to vote, no matter how well or badly informed they are. Teenagers can make selfish or stupid decisions, but that is true for voters of all ages. Anyone who lives in a democracy has a duty to educate themselves before voting.

Should schools teach news?

Yes: The more informed pupils are about current affairs, the better decisions they will make when they vote. Responsible citizenship starts at school.

No: Teaching current affairs in the classroom means lessons will be filled with controversy. Better to focus on traditional subjects that teach the skills needed to read the news.

Or... In a democracy, everyone has an equal vote. This means that each citizen has a responsibility to educate themselves before deciding who they will elect.