Current-day society is one fueled by many tensions between groups of people, a prominent one being politics. Before the recent presidential election, opinions and beliefs on the 2024 candidates were hard to ignore. These opinions are still circulating today as resentment and joy at the result of the presidential election continue to clash. Even though most high school students are not eligible to vote, they still have many strong opinions surrounding the topic of politics and political parties. A person’s teenage years are critical years of development where they are susceptible to many different influences. Whether it’s parents, social media, or celebrities, teenagers base many of their political beliefs on the influences around them.
One of the most common figures that we see influencing teens’ opinions is their parents. In the younger years of one’s life, kids tend to view their parents in a perfect light, thinking that they could do no wrong and that they have every answer to the world’s questions. As one gets older, their views on their parents become more rational. That isn’t to say that many of their own opinions are based on what their parents’ opinions are since “they always know best.” Noah Lowenthal, a junior at Blind Brook High School, comments on the teenagers’ tendency to follow their parent’s political beliefs, “Many teens will argue political matters just based on what their parents tell them. Rarely do teenagers research to get the full scope of those matters.” This is evident in much of the discourse that happens between teens, sometimes political opinions are based more on proving a point than on a well researched belief.
Contrarily, one’s parent’s political beliefs and voiced opinions can expose teenagers to the beliefs that they want to stay away from. That isn’t to say that a middle ground cannot be found. Blind Brook High School junior Sasha Steiner is an example of a teenager who took various family opinions on politics and molded them into her own unique point of view, “As I got older I slowly gained an idea and an education that would help me form my own opinions based from being a witness of both sides being represented. So overall what really formed my political beliefs is being a child with a fresh mindset and perspective stuck in between two different sides at one dinner table.”
Teenagers don’t only form beliefs based off family. There is is a number of teens at Blind Brook that are eager to learn about politics and have formed opinions based on news articles and television. Additionally social media can be a prominent way in which teens consume political media.
Despite not being eligible to vote, many teens are more than qualified to form their own well-educated political opinions. In the end it comes down to whether or not the student has the time and desire to inform themselves. Without proper research the opinions of others around us can shape our opinions more than facts do. It is important to remember that every source of information has a bias, and we should always look for the facts. No matter what beliefs teenagers have, it is clear that their inability to participate in elections does not prevent them from forming fierce and insightful political opinions.