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child neglect

It depends where you live. In the UK, if a young person has insight into their actions and understands the consequences, they are presumed to be "Gillick Competent" and this allows them the legal right to exercise their own choices even though they are underage. If a 14yr old girl moves in with her boyfriend, for instance, not her parents, Social Services or the Police can do anything about it unless a crime is involved. I know it sounds bizarre, but that's the way it is.

A 17yr old would certainly understand that smoking is harmful and that they ought not do it, but I doubt if there were any realistic way of making them stop.

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12y ago

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