Are parents morally responsible for their child's actions?

[Empired]

No. Everyone has a free will and if somebody really wants to do something, nobody will be able to stop them in the end. A parent or guardian cannot stop their child (particularly an older one) from doing anything in the end, but most children have been brought up with at least a little regard to obeying rules.

Although parents or guardians do have a massive influence on a child's life, other things such as the environment and the people around them also affect people, so it's not even as if a parent or guardian can blame themself if their child does something awful because it will never fully be their fault (unless they told them to go and do it). Therefore if a child does something wrong, it is essentially nobody's fault but their own.

A parent or guardian may not be able to stop their child from doing something wrong but I do believe that they should try and make an impression on how their child behaves early on in life. The later you leave a child's behavioural problems, the worse and unsolvable they will become.

Also, if a child does do something wrong despite everything, I believe the parent or guardian should punish them. Social services saying that a child being bad is just them testing their boundaries is utter rubbish. How will a child learn what they can and can't do if nobody ever tells them?

[garriet]

nope, because when the child grows up to a so called 'adult' the parent won't be classed morally responsible then even though they still are their parent. even if they are young they still have a free will to do what they like, and a parent is only there to guide and influence them onto the 'right' path. if they don't follow that path then you can at least say that the parent tried and it isn't always their fault.

however, if the parent hasn't tried at all and has led no guidance to their child then yes they would be morally responsible.

basically depends on how good the parent is at being a parent, in my opinion.

[Richie]

If a child murders someone or commits a really bad crime they should be punished not their parents. A lot of the time it would be due to the upbringing of a child but everyone is still responsible for their own actions and shouldn't look for someone to blame. So not really, it depends on the age.

[CrazyLemurs]

@Garriet;

Harriet, how do you propose we measure this "good parenting". It's nowhere near enough evidence when determining responsibility.
Adults dont get special points from the government for bringing up their kids well, and there is nobody unbiased yet knowledgeable enough to give evidence of the ability of the parent.
The parent/guardian and the child are biased towards good, and government officials are not present in the day-to-day life of the family to make an informed decision.

I think for every month of punishment (or whatever a good increment would be for youth detention or community service etc) that is inflicted upon the child, the parents should also pay a fine.
However, if for example the child lives with a foster family or something, then there may be an underlying disadvantage (which would still be present in a child living with their natural family) of genetics.
The child might have inherited some "criminal genes" from their family, if not the parents.
It comes down to the age-old Nature vs. Nurture.