Chapter 86 Question ○77

Why do most states in the United States have mandatory regulations on the school age for children? In most places in the United States, children must be in school by age six.However, children of this age vary enormously in physical, intellectual, and emotional maturity.Why don't the states leave the matter to the parents and let them make a decision on the basis of their child's individual circumstances? Assuming that most children start school at the age of six, a couple chooses to delay their six-year-old son's entry to school by one year.By the time the child reaches seven, he will be stronger, wiser, and more mature than his classmates.Since the performance of children in all aspects of school is relative, the boy is likely to get better grades, have a better chance of success in sports teams, and thus have a better chance of occupying leadership positions in various organizations in the school.In short, he will embark on a pathway to an elite university.

But once some people are advanced in relative position, others will fall behind.Other ambitious parents feel pressure to delay their children's entry to school by a year.Of course, no matter how ambitious the parents are, they cannot keep their children from going to school.But we can imagine that in areas where parents are allowed to decide when their children enter school, the average age of children entering school is eight to nine years old.But collectively, if all children start school late, no one benefits in the end.As a result, most districts have had to take the decision of when their children go to school away from parents.

The discrepancy between individual and collective motives is certainly not the only reason why states regulate behaviour.For example, in the field of security, many people believe that individuals mostly lack the necessary information and foresight to make informed choices.This kind of paternalistic management style often arouses controversy.But such decisions about children are more likely to enjoy popular support because most adults agree that children cannot make informed safety decisions on their own.However, the following examples show that the cost-benefit principle still plays a central role in considering what form such rules should take.