>Now, the Scottish Government’s community safety minister, Siobhian Brown, has said a change in the law would “ensure that no one under 18 can enter a legally recognised marriage or civil partnership in Scotland”.
>The proposed changes would see the minimum age of marriage and civil partnership raised from 16 to 18. It comes in response to a UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recommendation to prohibit marriages involving under-18s to protect young people.
>There were 26,955 marriages in Scotland in 2024, but only 129 of those (0.5%) involved at least one person aged 16–19, according to data from the National Records of Scotland.
This has been making Scotland look like a dodgy outlier internationally for some time. It should absolutely be 18.
Then again, I’d put the voting age up to 18 again for all purposes.
About bloody time.
Already should be a law.
I’m 38 and still barely know what the fuck I’m doing with my life and what I want to do next.
16 is far too young an age for what is supposed to be a life long commitment.
Why are 16 year olds mature enough to vote in Scotland but not to marry?
Of course cases of coercion or abuse should be investigated, but in not convinced a blanket law change is necessary.
Why are people celebrating this while our voting age is 16?
Can’t drink or marry but you can vote, really? Make it make sense!
You can currently get married before you can legally drive or legally drink
It should be 18.
18 should be the age for –
Marriage
Voting
Paying income tax
Paying national insurance
Getting a driving license
Drinking, smoking and vaping
Accessing adult content and many other things I can’t think of right now.
It should all be 18. I also think we should be following England and Wales and making it mandatory for education at school to continue until 18 years old. The only exception being if you get an apprenticeship or go to college (or in rarer situations get a place at uni before you turn 18).
16-18 year olds now are not the 16-18 year olds we had 20 years a go. Not in a bad way, I think it’s a good thing.
I’m not being funny, but does it really matter? I really can’t imagine theres all that many U-18 weddings, shotgun or otherwise.
Just seems like one of those obscure laws that nobody ever thinks about, and affects maybe one guy, that someone somewhere wants to reform it to look busy, like how you can’t turn up to Parliament in a suit of armour.
Wouldn’t be an SNP government if they couldn’t go a couple of months without banning something.
But they can vote…
It’s so inconsistent though. You can vote at 16, you can’t buy alcohol until you’re 18 and your brain hasn’t developed enough to be fully responsible for a crime until you’re 25. SMH.
Good policy. Why let them marry under 18 – when they can instead bankrupt themselves later paying for an ott wedding and eventual divorce ?
It’s a Scottish tradition, so should stay 16.
It’s not as if lots are marrying at that age anyway.
This is just implementing a law to appease the colonisers
Don’t do it Scotland
Cant wait for the opposition to tie themselves in knots to opposed this and wo derry what excuses they will useÂ
I’m sure the idea of Scotland making its own laws is because it’s what Scotland wants and what they get.
All this shit about following England, international norms or whatever should have nothing to do with it. If it does what’s the use of a government?
Just pass laws others have got?
It’s mental, my oldest just turned 13. I can’t imagine him being mature enough to get married in 3 years. I’m not 100% comfortable with him going on the bus by himself
19 comments
>Now, the Scottish Government’s community safety minister, Siobhian Brown, has said a change in the law would “ensure that no one under 18 can enter a legally recognised marriage or civil partnership in Scotland”.
>The proposed changes would see the minimum age of marriage and civil partnership raised from 16 to 18. It comes in response to a UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recommendation to prohibit marriages involving under-18s to protect young people.
>There were 26,955 marriages in Scotland in 2024, but only 129 of those (0.5%) involved at least one person aged 16–19, according to data from the National Records of Scotland.
This has been making Scotland look like a dodgy outlier internationally for some time. It should absolutely be 18.
Then again, I’d put the voting age up to 18 again for all purposes.
About bloody time.
Already should be a law.
I’m 38 and still barely know what the fuck I’m doing with my life and what I want to do next.
16 is far too young an age for what is supposed to be a life long commitment.
Why are 16 year olds mature enough to vote in Scotland but not to marry?
Of course cases of coercion or abuse should be investigated, but in not convinced a blanket law change is necessary.
Why are people celebrating this while our voting age is 16?
Can’t drink or marry but you can vote, really? Make it make sense!
You can currently get married before you can legally drive or legally drink
It should be 18.
18 should be the age for –
Marriage
Voting
Paying income tax
Paying national insurance
Getting a driving license
Drinking, smoking and vaping
Accessing adult content and many other things I can’t think of right now.
It should all be 18. I also think we should be following England and Wales and making it mandatory for education at school to continue until 18 years old. The only exception being if you get an apprenticeship or go to college (or in rarer situations get a place at uni before you turn 18).
16-18 year olds now are not the 16-18 year olds we had 20 years a go. Not in a bad way, I think it’s a good thing.
I’m not being funny, but does it really matter? I really can’t imagine theres all that many U-18 weddings, shotgun or otherwise.
Just seems like one of those obscure laws that nobody ever thinks about, and affects maybe one guy, that someone somewhere wants to reform it to look busy, like how you can’t turn up to Parliament in a suit of armour.
Wouldn’t be an SNP government if they couldn’t go a couple of months without banning something.
But they can vote…
It’s so inconsistent though. You can vote at 16, you can’t buy alcohol until you’re 18 and your brain hasn’t developed enough to be fully responsible for a crime until you’re 25. SMH.
Good policy. Why let them marry under 18 – when they can instead bankrupt themselves later paying for an ott wedding and eventual divorce ?
It’s a Scottish tradition, so should stay 16.
It’s not as if lots are marrying at that age anyway.
This is just implementing a law to appease the colonisers
Don’t do it Scotland
Cant wait for the opposition to tie themselves in knots to opposed this and wo derry what excuses they will useÂ
I’m sure the idea of Scotland making its own laws is because it’s what Scotland wants and what they get.
All this shit about following England, international norms or whatever should have nothing to do with it. If it does what’s the use of a government?
Just pass laws others have got?
It’s mental, my oldest just turned 13. I can’t imagine him being mature enough to get married in 3 years. I’m not 100% comfortable with him going on the bus by himself
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