Anti-social behaviour is increasing. Some people believe that parents should be made more accountable for the actions of their children. Do you agree?
Some young people are showing aggression and engaging in activities such as vandalism and crime. There is a school of thought that believes that parents should take responsibility for the behaviour of their offspring and there is evidence to support this point of view as will be discussed below.
Firstly, parents are the most important role model in the life of their child. It is their duty to teach children how to behave. Children who have reliable and solid role models are more likely to be law abiding and polite themselves; to illustrate, parents can instil a sense of respect for older people in their children.
It is also a parent’s responsibility to discipline their child; however, some parents try to pass this responsibility on to the school. Making them accountable on a legal level may encourage them to become more actively involved in disciplining their child. For example, fining the parents of a teenager who has written graffiti in a public place may make them more inclined to ensure that the offence is not repeated.
Admittedly, some families provide more than adequate support, discipline and praise to their children, yet due to external factors, such as becoming involved with a trouble-making group, the youngster may still act inappropriately. However, children from this type of environment are more likely to improve their ways after reprimand from their parents than continue to act in an anti-social way.
To conclude, making parents take responsibility for their child’s behaviour seems reasonable given the evidence and may bring many benefits to society.
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