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People often talk about responsibilities and rights. For example you have the right to an education. so your responsibility is to turn up and learn. However, rights are not conditional – this means your rights cannot be taken away from you if you don’t take on responsibility or do certain things.

We might think it is important to be responsible when we use our rights but that isn’t part of the UNCRC.

So, for example, you have the right to be heard, but it would be responsible of us not to abuse that by being racist, homophobic or transphobic because that harms other people’s rights.

Responsibilities and ages you can do certain things

Lots of people think of rights as a list of things you can do at certain ages, like being able to learn to drive or join the armed forces.

It’s important not to think of these as rights in the same way as your right to an education. These are things that you are prevented from doing at a younger age for your own health and wellbeing or things the government decides you are only mature enough to do at a certain age.

For example, there is lots of evidence that smoking damages your health, so the government makes it illegal for you to buy cigarettes until you are 18. This is the age when you are judged to be old enough to make a decision about whether or not to smoke yourself.

There is a lot of debate about what is the right age for some of these – in Scotland you can vote in some elections at the age of 16 but or other elections you need to be 18.

Here are some ages you can do certain things in Scotland:

• At age 12:
  • write your own will
  • go to see a 12 rated movie with your parents
  • register as an organ donor
• At age 13:
  • legally allowed to use certain social media platforms, such as Instagram or Snapchat
• At age 14:
  • be a candidate for the Scottish Youth Parliament
• At age 15:
  • go to see a 15 rated movie
• At age 16:
  • leave school
  • get married or enter into a civil partnership
  • join the armed forces (though you need your parent’s permission until you are 18)
  • vote in a Scottish Parliament election or Scottish local election
• At age 17:
  • you can get a provisional driving licence and learn to drive
  • give blood
• At age 18:
  • vote in all elections
  • stand for Parliament yourself
  • buy alcohol
  • go to see an 18 rated movie
  • serve on a jury
  • take out a credit card