Are 16-year-olds ready to vote? We asked teenagers what they think

The UK government may lower the voting age to 16 by next year's local elections, enfranchising 1.3 million teenagers. Research by the University of Roehampton found that many UK teenagers have 'limited political understanding and confidence'. The study surveyed over 880 pupils across 13 UK schools and observed that young people see politics as 'distant' or 'for adults'. Professor Bryony Hoskins led the research, warning that young people often get political information from social media and AI, raising concerns about their ability to judge reliability. A separate University of Glasgow study found that two-thirds of 16- and 17-year-olds felt unprepared for elections. Experts suggest that civic education in schools can tackle this issue, citing evidence from Scotland and Wales where 16-year-olds have been able to vote since 2014 and 2020, respectively. Tom Brake from Unlock Democracy argues that critical thinking skills can have 'trickle effects' later in life and that the government should tackle disinformation at source.