Explicates the rationale for efforts to promote the participation of children (and their parents and other interested adults) to help them feel that they are heard, noting the framework that is currently in place in most western countries, explaining this effort's foundation in international human rights law, and describing ways that it can be…

Current presumptions about adolescents' incompetence as decision makers are largely unsupported by psychological research. There are psychological and social benefits in recognizing adolescents as autonomous persons with independent interests in liberty and privacy. Policymakers should consider adolescents' rights in decisions concerning…