The document discusses the effects of unrestricted freedom among teenagers, including drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, and underage driving. It argues that providing teenagers with complete freedom could lead them to make poor decisions like abusing drugs, engaging in unprotected sex and becoming pregnant, or driving recklessly due to peer pressure. Such behaviors could significantly harm their health, education prospects, and development into mature adults. Therefore, the document concludes that some restrictions on teenage freedom are necessary to protect them from harmful outcomes.

1. NAME: CHIA LY VIER
ID: 0320142
MODULE: English 1
SESSION: AUGUST, 2014
QUESTION NUMBER: 1

2. PRE-WRITING: MAKING A LIST
EFFECTS OF UNRESTRICTED FREEDOM AMONG TEENAGERS
 Drug abuse
 Examples: cigarettes, drugs, alcohols
 It might be hazardous
 Drug addicts will get hallucinations and might accidentally commit suicide
 Drug addicts might do something wrong unconsciously
 Examples: murder
 Smoking harm nearly every organ in our body
 Others whom indirectly contact with the smoke might also be affected
 Teenage pregnancy
 Causing the increasing number of abandoned baby and abortion
 Carry extra health risks
 Teenagers doesn’t get prenatal care soon enough wi ll have a higher risk for
pregnancy-related high blood pressure
 Percentage of teenagers facing health problems such as anaemia, malaria,
HIV are higher
 They may suffer from mental disorder, such as depression
 Risks for baby include premature birth and low birth weight
 Education might be delayed, teenagers may decide to leave school due to
pregnancy
 Finance problems may arise before the birth or after the baby is born as
raising up a child needs a lot of money
 Underage driving
 Peer pressure or a feeling of youthful invincibility

3.  Feeling of bravery and thought they could get away with anything
 Speeding and drink driving
 Causing road accidents which might lead to death
 Survivors may suffer from emotional scars
 Driving with friends around causes distraction
 Teenagers does not focus on the road but busy talking to friends
 Inexperience and immature thinking
 Teenagers naturally think that it is fine to take risk without getting harm
 Teenagers doesn’t have enough experience to deal and respond to road
hazards
 They often underestimate road hazards
Thesis statement:
To provide teenagers with unrestricted freedom, they may easily go astray and fall
prey to undesirable situation such as underage drug abuse, pregnancy or driving
under peer pressure.

4. Effects of Unrestricted Freedom among Teenagers
Should unrestricted freedom in making life decisions be given to teenagers?
For many years, these arguments have been publicly debated among the society. In
regards to this, we have to first establish that everyone, including children, have the
rights of freedom to a certain extent in pursuing their future as each distinct individual
should be the main author of their life story. However, the question now lies if
adolescent have enough maturity to handle the hedonistic society. Are they able to
make the right decisions? Modern technologies provide human an ease of
convenience to access all field of knowledge at the touch of a button (PragnaShekar,
2013). While this can be the right tool for some people, many teenagers may fall
prey to the negative influence of cyber world. In my opinion, such influences would
have a significant impact on teenagers; especially they are on the phase of character
and knowledge building. To provide teenagers with unrestricted freedom, they may
easily go astray and fall prey to undesirable situation such as underage drug abuse,
pregnancy or driving under peer pressure.
Underage drug abuse is considered as the foremost problems among
teenagers. The Malaysian legal system forbids teenagers below 18 to purchase
cigarettes, alcohols and, of course, drugs. This was initially implemented to protect
adolescent from being an addict of these hazardous substances. Unfortunately, this
does not stop teenagers from accessing to these substances by illegal means. I
believe that anything, if taken to the extreme, would lead to nothing good. Drug
abuse might be hazardous as drug addicts will be controlled by the euphoric feeling
and accidentally commit suicide when they get hallucinations. They might do
something wrong unconsciously, such as murder, as they can never differentiate
right and wrong, the real and the fantasy anymore. Along with nicotine, cigarette

5. smokers are subjected to 7,000 other chemicals through the inhalation of smoke
(Better Health Channel, 2012). These chemicals are harmful to nearly every organ in
the body (Better Health Channel, 2012). Notably, it should be advised that smoking
does not only affect the smokers themselves but also the public indirectly as second-hand
smokers.
In addition, underage pregnancy presents a critical issue among teenagers
which arouses public concerns. In Malaysia, the minimum age of consent for both
sexes is 16 to protect adolescence from sexual abuse (Hariati, 2012). Sexual
activities among teenagers often occur without them considering the consequences,
such as unexpected pregnancy. This may leads to abortion or abandoned babies.
Such decision may arise due to concerns on how having a baby will derail their
personal future goals, financial responsibilities associated with parenthood and
whether or not they are ready to become a parent (Child Trends Databank, 2014).
Underage pregnancy carries an extra health risks to the underage mother as they
will have a higher risk of pregnancy-related high blood pressure if they do not get
enough prenatal care (MedlinePlus, 2014). In addition, underage mother will have a
higher chance in facing various health problems and mental disorder syndrome,
such as anaemia or depression (MedlinePlus, 2014). The baby born, on the other
hand, may be premature and have a low birth weight. At the same time, education
will also be affected as the underage parents may have to stop attending school in
order to focus on their new born. Financial problems may also arise as most
teenagers themselves do not have a proper and reliable income.
Last but not least, underage driving issue is necessary for every each of us to
give concern to. The law of Malaysia has stated that only teenagers above 16 are
legal to get a driving licence and by all means, drive on the road. Most underage

6. teenagers tend to drive due to peer pressure or that feeling of youthful invincibility.
“Teenagers have a sense that they can get away with transgressions – a feeling of
bravado whereby “I can get away with anything .” (Arrive Alive, 2014). “They often
underestimate road hazards due to their inexperience and immature thinking while
they also do not have enough experience to respond to road hazards.” (Helen, 2012).
The two main issues made by underage driving are speeding and drunk driving. It is,
somehow, lethal. It causes severe road accidents and the survivors often suffer from
emotional scars. Meanwhile, teenagers are easily distracted by talking to their
friends. They naturally think that it is fine to take risk without getting harm.
As a conclusion, I strongly disagree that unrestricted freedom should be given
to teenagers as it actually leads to negative outcome such as drug abuse, teenage
pregnancy and underage driving. Other than these issues, movie restriction is also
one of the major aspects we should all be concern about. I suggest that parents
should communicate with their chi ldren frequently in order to know about what is on
their mind.

7. References
Arrive Alive. (2014). Underage Driving. Retrieved 28th Sep, 2014, from
https://www.arrivealive.co.za/Underage-Driving
Better Health Channel. (2012). Smoking-effects On Your Body. Retrieved 28th Sep,
2014, from
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Smoking_effec
ts_on_your_body
Child Trends Databank. (2014). Teen Abortions. Retrieved 28th Sep, 2014, from
http://www.childtrends.org/?indicators=teen-abortions
Hariati, A. (2012). When Age Is Not Just A Number, The Star Online. Retrieved from
http://www.thestar.com.my/story/?file=%2f2012%2f9%2f2%2fnation%2f11956
131&sec=nation
Helen, R. (2012). Common Causes of Collisions Involving Teen Drivers. Retrieved
from http://teenslearntodrive.com/common-causes-of-teen-driver-crashes/
MedlinePlus. (2014). Teenage Pregnancy. Retrieved 28th Sep, 2014, from
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/teenagepregnancy.html
PragnaShekar. (2013). Should Teenagers Be given Restricted Freedom. Retrieved
from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Should-Teenagers-Be-Given-
Restricted-Freedom-1369109.html