Curfews for teens have been a source of controversy for some parents. Should a teenager have to come into the house at 9 during the week or should teenagers be allowed to stay out until 11 p.m.? This essay will explain why I think that curfews for teenagers should be in place.

I feel that teens should have some type of curfew. Teenagers need rules to grow up to be responsible adults. Not having boundaries and having parents that are too permissive with their kids can lead to adults who feel entitled, selfish, and/or end up in jail. If teenagers had no rules as teenagers, then why should they follow state and federal laws and rules? Teenagers need structure, which a curfew can provide to them.

The streets are also a dangerous and unsafe place to be at night. In many cities, crime has gone up. There are also many illegal drugs on the street. Drug dealers are out there selling lethal drugs such as heroin and crystal meth. Right now, there is a heroin epidemic in our country with many young kids dying each day from drug overdoses. Giving a curfew to teenagers may lower the chances that a drug dealer on the street will get a teenager hooked on drugs.

The teenage brain is also not fully formed until the age of 23. That means that many teenagers make poor decisions that can result in bad consequences. Teenagers are also impulsive, which makes the likelihood of making good decisions poor. Being out late at night or with other teenager friends is not wise.

Some people argue that having teenagers set their own curfew can give them some responsibility for their own lives. This can get them used to managing their own life and perhaps making a mistake can show them where they went wrong. Yet, I disagree with this argument.

In the end, I feel that curfews for teenagers are beneficial. They give teenagers structure and protect them from danger and save them from themselves- a brain that still needs to mature.