Should minors be able to buy whatever toys they want with their money without asking parents?

MayCaesar

I think the right to own property applies to everyone, including children. If a child has money that is rightfully theirs, then the parents should have no say in what the child does with that money. The parents could provide an advice and judgment, and could potentially revoke some of the further privileges they would otherwise grant their child - but saying, "No, you cannot buy this toy, you already have too many", would be a violation of the child's rights.

It is another matter that the stores themselves can also have certain policies, such as "We do not sell toys to children below the age of 12 without their parents' presence".

agsr

@MayCaesar, according to this logic though minors should be able to buy unlimited distractions and parents wouldn’t have any controls over how much time their kids spend on video games and other etc. Many would say that it is responsibility of  parents  to ensure that  kids don’t get spoiled and focus on education.  

MayCaesar

@agsr ;

My opinion is that parents should be more of mentors and guides, than masters and lords. This is how my parents raised me, for example: I was free to do whatever I wanted with the money that I managed to obtain, but at the same time they would not give me everything I want just like that. They taught me the concepts of personal responsibility and self-reliance, while at the same time promoting the ideals of individual freedom and liberties regardless of age.

For example, they were okay with me playing a video game rated at 18+ when I was 4. What they were not okay with is me skipping my family responsibilities. They were not okay with me promising something in exchange for something else and not fulfilling the promise. If I really wanted some toy, they would probably buy it for me - but, at the same time, they would want me to do something in return. And if I agreed and then did not deliver, it was then that more or less forceful methods came in.