Silly Age Limits!!

[Smowball]

My son is 17- he works full time, owns a car and is taking driving lessons, can legally have sex, get married and have children yet he can't take out a mobile phone contract! I've had to do it again for him and he's going to pay me monthly. Whoever thinks up these ages restrictions? Some are just plain daft.

[Jackdaw33]

As far as the law of contract is concerned he is still a minor so cannot enter into a valid contract.

[Jackdaw33]

...this has always been the case. Contracts with minors are void at law and uneforceable.

[Smowball]

I get that, but it's the other age limits that are more annoying.

[pixie374]

They do seem fairly arbitrary sometimes. You can drive yourself to the cinema with your triplets and not be old enough to see all the films. It's ticket prices too- you often have to pay adult prices for children from about 12.

[CrapAtCryptics]

Have a PAYG for a year

[Peter Pedant]

// ...this has always been the case. Contracts with minors are void at law and uneforceable//

except if they are for necessities
and this has been widely interpreted
( a contract for twenty fancy waistcoats for a young gentleman at Cambridge was deemed by the judge as a necessity )

I am sure that there has been statutory intervention since then

[Peter Pedant]

oops still good law apparently
"Whatever the minor's status, the goods must be suitable to his actual requirements-if he already has enough fancy waistcoats, more cannot be necessary: Nash v. Inman [1908] 2 KB 1, CA."

http://www.lawteacher.net/lecture-notes/contract-law/capacity-lecture.php

[Jackdaw33]

I remember that case from my contract law days but have forgotten the name.

[Jackdaw33]

Thank you for reminding me of what I had forgotten. To revert to the OP, a mobile phone contract is not a necessity as there are other means available as CaC points out.

[Smowball]

Still think it's daft that you can get married at 16 and have kids yet can't go to the pub for a pint!

[Jackdaw33]

Do you not still need parental consent to get married if you are 16/17? My brother got married at 20 and my parents had to sign the consent form.

[Cloverjo]

I thought you could get married at 18, but needed parents' consent if 16 or 17

[Jackdaw33]

This was 43 years ago when the age of consent was 21.