Petition · past parliament
Give 16-17 year olds the same rights as people who are 18+
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
Under current UK laws, 16-17 year olds sit in an awkward grey zone of legality. We cannot vote nor do we have equal working rights as adults however we can be charged adult prices in hotels and for public transport. A change must happen as we are fed up of being treated as children when we're not.
The possible solutions are rather simple: either continue to treat us as children and allow us to pay child prices in public or make us legal adults and give us the benefits and rights that come with that.
We're not stupid or lazy, we want to be treated as actual citizens of this country rather than unknown entities who have to sit back and watch while meaningful decisions are made for us that directly impact our future. We want to work, we want to vote and we want to be equal in law.
We're not stupid or lazy, we want to be treated as actual citizens of this country rather than unknown entities who have to sit back and watch while meaningful decisions are made for us that directly impact our future. We want to work, we want to vote and we want to be equal in law.
Why it was rejected
It was not clear what the petition asked the UK Government or Parliament to do.
We can't accept your petition as we are not sure what action you would like the UK Government or Parliament to take.
We understand that you would like 16 and 17 year olds to have the same rights as 18 year olds, but we are not sure which rights you would like this to apply to. In particular, the giving of discounts to under 18s would be the responsibility of the businesses concerned, not the UK Government or Parliament.
You could start a new petition setting out clearly which rights you would like under 18s to have.
We understand that you would like 16 and 17 year olds to have the same rights as 18 year olds, but we are not sure which rights you would like this to apply to. In particular, the giving of discounts to under 18s would be the responsibility of the businesses concerned, not the UK Government or Parliament.
You could start a new petition setting out clearly which rights you would like under 18s to have.
Timeline
| 30 Sep 2018 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 8 Oct 2018 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
8 Oct 2018
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.