I believe that alcohol age should not be bumped down. Just because some underage kids are doing it, it does not mean they should do so. Yes, it may seem that it is restricting a lot of teenagers choices but that doesn't mean it's necessarily a bad thing. We have to realize that, in reality, even MORE teenagers will do it if they are allowed to. This would only create more issues, compared to what we have already. If we do lower the age of drinking, it may get lower and lower each time. You have to deserve your rights to do the things you want; if you show that you cannot, then you will not. And it may sound babyish to many teens, but it is only true that we must make sure to put some rules on the table in order to not keep our children safe. And as they grow older, when they find how the world works and is, then they are able to do what they want. Teenagers will be teenagers and that fact will not disappear. It's not saying that they are irresponsible, but to say that they are still young and have so much to do in their lives. That's something we should not take away from the future.
"Because teens are simultaneously undergoing physical changes, peer pressure, and new situations and urges, allowing them to consume alcohol can make them more vulnerable to drug and substance abuse, unplanned and unprotected sex, depression, violence, and other social ills (1)."
There has already been cases where some states have lowered drinking age, and the statitics of alcohol-related crashes have occurred.
"Traffic fatalities in alcohol-related crashes rose slightly (by 0.1 percent)
from 17,400 in 2001 to 17,419 in 2002. The 17,419 alcohol-related
fatalities in 2002 (41 percent of total traffic fatalities for the year) represent
a 5 percent reduction from the 18,290 alcohol-related fatalities reported in
1992 (47 percent of the total)(2)."
Lowering drinking age does sound like a reasonable idea, but it's important that we see the future of our children and where they will be. And to have this restriction is not a punishment; it's only to keep young adults safe.
(1)"Should the drinking age be lowered from 21 to a younger age?." Drinking Age . 12/18/2009. © ProCon.org, Web. 18 Dec 2009.
(2)"Traffic Safety Facts 2002." Alcohol. U.S. Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. DOT HS 809 606. Washington, D.C.: National Center for Statistics & Analysis, 2002.