Teenagers' Curfew

Han Q. Ngo
ESL 41
Instructor: Noele Simmons
Argument Essay Draft #2 (Revision)
Prompt: should people under the age of seventeen have an 11:00 PM curfew?
Purpose: convince teenagers to stay home at night.
Audience: teenagers and parents.
Teenagers' Curfew Should people under the age of 17 have an 11:00 pm curfew? Some people think that teenagers should be allowed to go out after 11:00 pm because it is fun. After school and finising schoolwork, teenagers want to hang out with their friends and may have a teen party at their friends' house. Other people believe that teenagers should be allowed to go out after 11:00 pm because it is their choice. In high school life, many teenagers want to be more popular in school and may have an adventure before they graduated. Although these people believe that teenagers should not have an 11:00 pm curfew because it is fun and that is their choice, I believe that teenagers should not be allowed to go out after their curfew not only because of the law, but also because it is safe for teenagers and it makes teenagers know how to be responsible. The first reason that people under 17 should have an 11:00 pm curfew is because of the law concerning curfews in some communities. It is parents' responsibility to watch over the teenagers and teach them. Parents have to give a lecture about their curfew and explain what would happen if they go out at night. Often curfew violations are quite expensive and time consuming. Parents are held responsible for their child's behavior. They have to appear in court, pay heavy fines, and sometimes attend classes of perform community service along with their teens. The efficacy of a curfew in crime prevention is the topic of debate at many city council meetings, but if the law is in place it will be enforced. The second reason that people under 17 should have an 11:00 pm curfew is because it is safe for teenagers. Parents always worry about their teens' safety when they go out at night. When teens go out and their parents do not know where they are going or when they are going to return, parents will start to worry. They are afraid something might happen, such as being kidnapped, being accident, being violated, etc. Even if parents know where their teens are going, they will still worry. For example, the teens go to the party at a friend's house and the party ends at 12:00 am. Parents worry something might happen if their teen get drunk at the party. Will they cause accident while they are driving home? Will they cause any trouble or even commit a crime? Therefore, parents always try to keep their teens at home for their safety. The third reason that people under the age of 17 should have an 11:00 pm curfew is because it is the teenagers' responsibility to learn as they grow up. Growing up is a process. Following social rules is an important part of that process. The teen years are the time when a person becomes a young adult who needs and should have freedom to learn about life and gather experience about life. They will start to learn responsibility when they are following the rules that their parents offer, such as being home after 11:00 pm, not sneaking out at midnight, staying away from parties at night, etc. Creating a safe environment to do this learning is a tough job. Teenagers need to be aware of natural consequences for not following rules as well as the consequences imposed by parents. Losing phone and computer privileges are much less damaging than spending time in jail. It takes time to learn a concept and put it into practice, but having a stable environment to learn in will allow a teenager to become a responsible young adult. In conclusion, teenagers should not be allowed to go out after their curfew because of the law, it is safe for teenagers and it makes teenagers know how to be responsible. For a long time, teenagers really want to hang out with their friends after curfew, because it is considered to be a part of their high school life. Even though teenagers might object to their parents about preventing them from sneaking out at night, parents still have to enforce what is going to happen if they are out after curfew. Therefore, I believe that teenagers should stay home after 11:00 pm, so they will be safe and spend time with their family instead of hanging out with friends at midnight.