One less thing you’ll need to do for your teenagers…

Teenagers, who’d ‘ave ‘em? For those who thought parenting would become easier once their kids hit double figures, it doesn’t take long to realise it’s still a full-time job – or should we say jobs. Yes, your job titles may range from chauffeur, to personal chef, to PA, to cleaner. And let’s not forget personal shopper. How many times have you been called to the shopping mall or cinema because your beloved teenager has forgotten their ID card and has no photo proof of age to buy themselves games or tickets?

Proof of age

Age restrictions apply on a variety of things and range from 12 years of age, to 16 years, to 18 years old. Your child will be asked to show their ID card to buy age-restricted video games and to watch 12- or 15-certificate films at the cinema. Did you know they also need to show their ID card to show they’re over 16 if they buy petrol, lottery tickets and ‘instant win’ cards.

Got an artist in your midst? Even supplies like aerosol paint are not permitted for sale to those under 16. Celebrating something? Seemingly innocuous items such as party poppers and Christmas crackers are subject to a 16- and 12-rating respectively.

Get them an ID card

Chances are your child will want to purchase at least one of these items at some point. By making sure that they have an ID card at the ready, you could save yourself yet another ‘emergency’ call to Mum or Dad’s fix-everything, buy-everything hotline.

Why not get them My ID Card – an official proof of age card, accredited by PASS, the UK’s national proof of age accreditation scheme? As well as a photo of your child, it has the official PASS logo and hologram and it’s fully endorsed by official organisations such as the Home Office and The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). Because PASS carries these endorsements, venues and shops will recognise that your child’s ID Card is the real deal, meaning they’ll be able to sell age-restricted goods to them (saving you a whole heap of ear ache and hassle!).

Yet another thing to fork out for?

My ID card only costs £15, which is lot less than the £80 it’ll cost you to replace other forms of ID, such as their passport. Plus, it fits neatly in their purse or wallet. Teenagers have a habit of losing things, as you may be all too well-aware! Home Office figures estimate an average of 250,000 passports are lost every year and you can bet a fair few of those fell down the side of a cinema seat along with some leftover popcorn and sweet wrappers.

Remember that applying for or replacing other forms of ID can also have a long application processes, yet you can get your child’s My ID card in as little as 5-10 days.

Half-term isn’t far away, so apply for a My ID Card today for peace of mind (and a slightly more peaceful life…).