Petition · past parliament
Children over 10 to be held legally responsible for their actions
Rejected
10 signatures
What the petition asks
The law states that children over 10 are legally culpable for their actions. However this is to frequently ignored and children are getting away with physical assault, threats to kill, criminal damage to name a few. Children over 10 should be on a 3 strike system and then be dealt with by law
To many young children are being bullied, physically, via social media and via third parties. Children in the UK are losing their lives due to this and not enough is being done, legally, to stop this. Children are becoming increasingly ignorant to the law and in turn the rate of crime and 18 to 21 year olds in prison is increasing. Children need to be shown from a young age that the law applies to them just as much as an adult. They need to be held responsible
Why it was rejected
It was not clear what the petition asked the UK Government or Parliament to do.
Petitions need to call on the Government or Parliament to take a specific action.
We understand that you are concerned about the actions of young people, but we're not sure exactly what you'd like the Government or Parliament to do. As you note in your petition, the age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales is already 10 years old. Decisions about sentencing where someone has been found guilty of committing a crime is a matter for the courts, not the Government or House of Commons.
If you would like the Government to change legislation governing how children aged between 10 and 17 are treated by the justice system, you could start a new petition explaining clearly what changes you would like the Government or Parliament to make to this legislation.
We understand that you are concerned about the actions of young people, but we're not sure exactly what you'd like the Government or Parliament to do. As you note in your petition, the age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales is already 10 years old. Decisions about sentencing where someone has been found guilty of committing a crime is a matter for the courts, not the Government or House of Commons.
If you would like the Government to change legislation governing how children aged between 10 and 17 are treated by the justice system, you could start a new petition explaining clearly what changes you would like the Government or Parliament to make to this legislation.
Timeline
| 24 Jun 2021 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 29 Jun 2021 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
10
Status
Rejected
Rejected
29 Jun 2021
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.