Voting at 16? Only If there are Safeguards

By Talk2EU Contributors 17th July 2025

The UK government’s plan to lower the voting age to 16 is being celebrated as a bold move to improve democracy. Young people today are politically engaged, increasingly vocal, and directly affected by decisions made in Westminster.

We support the principle of extending the vote to 16‑ and 17‑year‑olds.

However, we also believe that giving young people the vote must also have concrete and enforceable safeguards. We don’t just mean good intentions or gestures. Without protections, we risk turning a democratic opportunity into another failure.

We reject the argument that 16-year-olds are too immature to vote. But we also reject the idea that, as a society, we can grant them the right to vote without providing democratic support. Political identities are an ongoing process, as the landscape around is constantly changing. Young people have fewer tools to prevent manipulation from politics, media, and online influencers. Without safeguards, we will fail the youth. Worse, we risk alienating them in the very democracy we claim to be improving.

Young (New) Voters Democratic Preparation

Young people deserve a say, but they also deserve the information and knowledge to use that vote wisely. Citizenship and political literacy must be made a statutory part of secondary education across the UK. And not just in name, but in substance.

This might include teaching the basics of how UK elections and institutions function as well as exploring different political ideologies, party positions, and democratic systems. New voters should understand the UK’s relationship with the EU, global trade, and the basics of global politics and governance. Critically, we must equip young people to identify bias, propaganda, and online misinformation, or they risk being underinformed.

All the above should not be indoctrination, but more about empowering them to think critically. They should be able to form questions, take part in civic conversations with confidence. A 16-year-old voter should enter the polling booth with understanding and purpose.

Social Media Is a Political Force, And a Vulnerability

Social media can often silo people into a closed group. This is dangerous for a full understanding of the political realm. Moreover, social media is a source for many, not just young/new voters, for political knowledge and comprehension. As the UK’s media environment already leans heavily toward the right, platforms like TikTok and YouTube create outrage and spread theories faster than facts. Political content, especially populist content and nationalist rhetoric, is often emotionally charged.

When we say young people are at risk of being “radicalised,” we don’t only mean in the extreme sense. We also mean the gradual process by which political identities are shaped and hardened by exposure to extreme-leaning content, such as anti-EU sentiment, anti-immigration, or anti-democratic narratives. We are concerned that without safeguards, 16-year-olds will be exposed to manipulation before they are equipped to critically analyse what they’re seeing, because the digital playing field can be rigged.

We must also legislate for:

a) Transparency in how algorithms promote political content, so there are no grey areas

b) A ban on targeted political ads aimed at under-18s, to protect them from being manipulated before they’ve  been given the tools to think critically

c) Independent oversight of how social media shapes political opinions, because democracy shouldn’t be driven by unseen forces, even if many feel it already is.

Voter ID Is a Barrier for Young People as Well as Other Groups

Another issue that cannot be ignored is the requirement for a photo ID to vote. This was introduced by the previous Conservative government and has led to many being unable to vote. Young people are among the most affected, as many 16‑ and 17-year-olds do not hold passports or driving licences. Furthermore, with the UK no longer being part of Erasmus or enjoying freedom of movement, fewer are applying for travel documents at all.

If the Labour government's goal is to empower young people, then access to voting must be made easier, not harder. This implies a review of voter ID laws, consideration of a new free acceptable form of ID for all 16-year-olds and new voters, expansion of acceptable IDs to potentially include student cards or youth railcards, which are normally held by young people, just as has been done for the over-60s travel passes.

We cannot build extra administrative walls around the ballot box; it is not fair.

Votes at 16 Must Be Matched by Real Responsibility From All of Us

To clarify, we support lowering the voting age to 16. We believe it’s fair, forward-thinking, and long overdue.

However, it must be supported by:

a) Statutory political education

b) Media literacy and digital safeguards

c) Reform of voter ID laws that hinder young people from voting

Young people are not just “the future of democracy,” they will be participants in it now. But we can’t simply hand them a ballot paper and hope they make the right decisions. Anything less is not democratic progress; it will be democratic lip service.