High schoolers should refrain from blindly developing political opinions

At the beginning of 2019, Democrats are lining up by the dozen to try to defeat Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential race. With each new entrant, more and more people — including students — have begun developing opinions on the candidates and the policies they advocate for.

As teens make their way through high school, they start becoming aware of policies and laws and the lawmakers behind the legislation and should start forming their own opinions on the matter. But they should be cautious about developing their own opinions on politics and laws.

For one, parents have a large impact on teens’ beliefs. After years of hearing what their parents think about issues on laws and elections, those opinions and views can become deeply ingrained. As a result, opinions formed by children are often similar to the political opinions their parents hold. Students may not even be aware of the opposing view to the the opinion they grew up hearing, and opposing sides tend to be demonized and dismissed.

Since  many typically follow news and commentary that support their existing beliefs, this restricted flow of information can easily transfer from parent to child which essentially closes students off from all the information needed to form a well thought-out opinion of their own.

In addition, high school students often have too little information or life experience to form informed opinions on the issues of the day.

Since Saratoga is a wealthy community, kids here may not be able to relate and empathize with those struggling from financial issues such as the inability to afford food, clothes and other necessities. As a result, the opinions students form on these issues can reflect that, deeming the issue unimportant because it does not apply to them.

The vast majority of students have lived in just one or two places for their entire lives. They do not see people whose lives are a strong contrast from their own. Without fully understanding the reasons for these differences, it is impossible to form a fully thought-out, complete opinion on the issue behind it.

Instead of forming rigid political opinions, high school students should use this time to explore and learn more about political issues. For instance, high school students should keep up with the news and strive to read articles from reliable sources such as The New York Times, or the Washington Post. This way they read and learn about issues from all sides and opinions.

By using high school as time to learn and grow, students can ensure that the opinions they eventually form are their own and do not stem from bias or misinformation or simply a continuation of their parents’ beliefs.