Legal ages establish the minimum age at which a person can participate in certain activities, with standards applied consistently across New Zealand. Key legal ages relate to safety, age-appropriate behavior, protection from exploitation, and responsibility. Reasons for legal ages include ensuring the safety of young people, enforcing societal norms about maturity levels, preventing the exploitation of minors, and acknowledging that children are less culpable for their actions.

1. New heading: Legal AgesLearning IntentionsUnderstand why we have legal agesKnow some of the more significant legal ages.Copy thisA legal age is the age at which a person has the right to participate in certain activities. In some countries, legal ages differ from state to state or city to city. In New Zealand our legal ages apply to the whole country.

3. In your groups write down 2-3 reasons for the legal ages you have been given.Then…copy this in the middle of a new page

4. Why do we have legal ages?SAFETY OF YOUNG PEOPLE (e.g. Must be 14 or older to stay at home, babysitting)TO ENFORCE SOCIETY’S IDEAS ABOUT AGE-APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR (e.g not playing violent games)TO PROTECT YOUNG PEOPLE FROM BEING EXPLOITED BY OTHERS (e.g. not allowing young people to work, leave school or be told how to vote)CHILDREN ARE LESS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS (e.g. not fully responsible for crimes until they are 10)