Youth rights refers to a set of philosophies intended to enhance civil rights for young people. Rather than so-called children's rights groups, which tend to advocate entitlements for young people and favor paternalistic handling of minors by government, Youth rights organizers seek to enhance the role of young people in society through equal rights, rejecting the paternalism of the current regime as a hindrance to those young people who seek active participation in society.

These philosophies were espoused by John Holt and others who have come to see society's treatment of children as hypocritical and anachronistic.

Key issues for the Youth rights movement are:

• Drinking age
• Voting age
• Age of candidacy
• Curfews
• Emancipation
• Age of majority
• Age of consent
• Gulag schools
• Unschooling
• corporal punishment
• Zero tolerance
• Student rights
• Ageism

See also

• Youth rights movement in the United States
• Ephebophobia - the irrational fear of adolescents gaining more rights or showing behavioral, emotional or social emancipation.