ABSTRACT
I have claimed that although restrictions of children's freedom are sometimes justified, this is not because children are inherently subject to adults' authority, or incapable of freedom or in some way less worthy of respect and consideration than adults. Restrictions of children's liberty are just as important as restrictions of adults' liberty and must be justified on broadly the same grounds and according to the same general criteria. I argued in the previous chapter that citizens of a democracy need to be educated in order to survive in, take part in, contribute to and benefit from their society, and that a democracy needs educated citizens in order to continue to operate as a democracy. I concluded that a system of compulsory education was justified in principle, although the legitimacy of compulsory education does not entail either the right of adults to impose their own wishes on children, or justify the unlimited restriction of children's freedom.
