yes. as humans, we all need privacy from time to time once we're past the age of - i dunno, 5?

it depends on what you think is more important --- making sure they're not getting into trouble & keeping things from you or establishing a relationship with your child built on trust.

heck yes. i do all the time. but make sure you dont lock it then close it while ur outside of it, unless you have a key.parents cant always invade your personel privavcy.

I think kids/teens should be allowed to close their door, but locking it usually means they are hiding something. if you need privacy, sure, just close it. why do you need to lock it? I guess maybe once you're past like say 10 or so, and if you NEED to lock it for some "reason" then I guess you can do it...

No actually I don't. I belive parents should be respectful enough to knock and ask permission to enter their child's room to give them that sense of privacy. But I don't belive that a kid's privacy overrights the parent's right to be an effective parent.

No I do not. If there is something that needs to be done behind a locked door then it can be done in the bathroom.

I think so. It doesn't really affect me that muc. I have my door closed all the time, and my mom respects my privacy by not going in my room during the daytime and looking through my stuff, wondering what I'm doing(than again, nothing exciting goes on in my room except loud music and PS3 playing and internet. Teens should be allowed to lock their doors, but it depends on their parents. I mean, if their parents don't respect their kids' privacy by going into their room, looking through their stuff, then I think the kid should be allowed to lock their doors(in general too).

Only if the parents are overbearing and have a burning need to butt into their kid's lives more than is reasonable. In that case, the parents need counseling on boundaries. Offspring are people, not property. Parents are responsible for their well-being but are not entitled total access to every aspect of their lives unless they have a valid reason to feel that their child is doing something self-destructive. Allow them to close the door and consider it locked unless there is a LEGITIMATE need to open it... like a fire or medical emergency.

I think they should. I don't think anyone who answered also considered siblings who probably don't give as much respect as parents might and have the tendency to just barge in and not knock first. Edit: I probably should have stated in the question to mention whether you're an kid/teen or an adult! oh well.

Kids/teens have as much right to privacy as do adults. So yes, I do think so. What if you're a teenager and you want a little 'private time', and you don't want your parents to walk in on you? Or siblings, as another user mentioned? Even if your parents have the courtesy to knock, they certainly won't. If you feel you need to constantly check and see what your kid is doing, then clearly you haven't raised them with a good sense of trust.

no, I think a parent has the right to know what their child is up to and dont see a need for it

I think 10 is a GOOD age...lol

What would be the reasons of children locking their doors? They will have all the privacy they need as long as I knock before I enter. People have to remember that we are mentors to our children. We're not their landlords, their best friends or their buddies. Our job is too give them guidance no matter how unpopular or disliking it is. They can have all the privacy and security they need when they are OUT of the house. Only then will I tell them to PLEASE lock their doors.

parents should be able to know what their kids do and feel

i think its okay, sometimes kids need time alone and that not even their parents and get in by them

I think kids have no reason to, pre-teens will WANT it but don't really need it, and teenagers have every right to lock their bedroom doors. Just because they're a few years away from legal "adulthood" doesn't mean they don't deserve the same amount of respect and privacy from others. an 11 year old doesn't really need that so much.

Not really. It's not that I'm against it, but I just don't think it's necessary. Kids need supervision, but with teens I think it needs to be handled a little more individualistically. It's all in how you are raised. I grew up in a house of five people, one bathroom, and shared a bedroom with my sister for a large part of my childhood. We never locked a door inside the house, even the bathroom. We were taught to respect a closed door. If it was closed, you didn't enter until it was opened or you were told to enter. I don't remember feeling a lack of privacy.

Absolutely yes. What do you expect to find out by intruding into the bathroom while they are there.? Let kids masturbate in peace.

When they work and could pay for it, sure.

closing a door should signal the desire for privacy, but, from personal experience as a teenager, it didn't work. my parents would just barge in whenever they felt like it, without knocking. sometimes a lock is needed if people will not respect boundaries. (you can always jimmy a lock if you need to anyway eg emergency, suspicion of unsociable behaviour)

I think that any parent who has respect for their child wouldn't put them in the position where they want a lock on their door.

their room is like the safe haven. let them lock their door if they want. i've had friends that their parents wouldn't let them even shut thier door

Sure, i mean, I would have wanted my door locked. I guess, my parents trusted me, but frankly, i dont see why. With the amount of illegal substances I had hidden in there..... oh boy, it would NOT have been pretty for them to find out. But I think it absolutely depends on the kid.

Yes. If parents knock and wait for a response like they should anyway, they won't ever have an excuse to turn the handle and know if the door was ever locked. I always lock the door to my room when I am at home beacuse my parents never knock, and on the rare occasions when they do knock they don't wait for a response or for me to let them in. There have been too many times when I have told them "wait a minute I am changing clothes" and they have walked right in anyway for me to say a teenager should not be allowed to lock their door. If you trust your child enough to not have any reason to suspect that they are doing drugs or anything illegal in their bedroom, then why not let them lock the door?

I don't think it is necessary for kids/teenagers to have locks on their doors. I never did, didn't need it, my parents knocked on the door before they came in. I think as long as there is respect on BOTH sides there is no need for locks.

Yes because there should be a lil privacy for everyone =)

yes, it's a little thing called privacy.

Small kids: No. Not a good idea. Teens: Yes. Who a that age doesn't want privacy?

if te cjild is responceble yes

I would to masterbate

To keep their siblings out... yes. But if I knock, they better open it if they aren't getting dressed or I'll unlock it, or kick it open if I don't have a key. No doors will be closed if there is a member of the opposite sex present in the room (besides siblings, cousins, etc). I will have full authority to access the room at my discression locked or not, with them present or not.

When I was a teen my bedroom door locked...albeit from the outside.

Sure...as long as you have a key!

I think this is up to their parents. If you believe that your child is responsible enough, then yes. Sometimes, they just need their alone time, you know what i mean????by the way this is an 11 yr old!!

i lock my door when im just in my room doing homework, i always lock my door my parents dont really care

well the answer could be do you really want to know whats going on behind that locked door. As long as its not drugs, which is hard because your sharing a house, i think it should be private. I have a girlfriend now but even when i didnt i dont think mum would have wanted to see the graphic nature of my bedroom LOL!!!

YES, especially if they had siblings... I never locked my door because of my parents... only because of my siblings.

No I don't think they should lock their doors. But I also don't think parents should give their children the need to lock their doors either. Everyone needs their privacy no matter how old they are and parents or children should NEVER enter a room that has the door closed without nocking and being given the permission to enter. If their is no answer and they are worried something is wrong that is a different story.

Yes, so long as the parents have the key.

The ability to change clothes and not have to worry about someone bursting in because your door is locked is a nice feeling.

y not? not allowing alone time wiil just drive your kids into hating u

Yes, i am a teenager myself. Just because the door is locked doesnt mean that were doing anything. Just like all couples we need our privacy too, just like all you Moms and Dads who lock the door

YES, YES, YES!!!! I DON'T have a lock on my door!!! AND I NEVER get any privacy. I have to take down my TV from the very top of my shelf and block the door so no one comes in. I'm 13!!! My parents won't let me GET a lock.

YES, YES, YES!!!! I DON'T have a lock on my door!!! AND I NEVER get any privacy. I have to take down my TV from the very top of my shelf and block the door so no one comes in. I'm 13!!! My parents won't let me GET a lock.

yea they should have privacy

Umm...YEAH! Being a teenager, I can say that we NEED our privacy. I would only say no if your kid is like, a cutter or a druggie or something. In my house, it seems like a closed door means nothing, so I'm forced to lock the bedroom and bathroom door because I have a mortal fear of people walking in on me when I'm changing clothes. Plus, sometimes you just need your alone time, to get away from annoying siblings or parents or whatever.

Yes, my parents used to nose arround in my stuff and it really angered me, to a point that on my first paycheck I bought a lock for my door.

My parents never gave me ne privacy so i went out with my chore money, after i asked my mom if i could buy w/e i want with it, and bought a lock.

No, sorry...I don't think they should. My Mom sure as chit wouldn't let me, and it didn't kill me to do without a lock. (of course it didn't stop me from breaking some rules that would have earned me some torture, had she known either!) I know I made it very clear to our son that he has the right to privacy and that we will respect that right..and we do. We're lucky too, he's always been very NOT into things like drugs, drinking that we would need to be worried about. He is now 19 and while we wouldn't say yes to a girlfriend spending the night, they could be in his room (unlocked) watching a movie, TV, talking and that would be fine with us. His birth Mother was less thrilled with this idea, but he and I have talked. (we know he's still a virgin and actually not dating anyone right now) He and I both KNOW that the concept of him attempting to be really sexual in OUR house, with us most likely HOME...is so NOT on the list of places and times he personally wants to even remotely consider that activity at all. He's a weird and wonderful guy...he has a lot of respect for the young ladies he is interested in, respect for himself, wants to be in love ideally, not lust, and jokes half-heartedly about not wanting to be a 30 yr old virgin, but can't bring himself to act as most of the young men his age and younger do in their treatment of girls. A good thing, but it causes him to sometimes feel out of place with his peer group. We agreed that when he needs time alone...all he needs to do is say "I'm going up for a nap, please don't disturb me, I'll see ya later." He may be napping, he may not be...NOT OUR BUSINESS. I don't even "look" in the directions of upstairs..his room and some storage is all that's up there anyway. I turn on music, not too loud...in case he DOES want a nap...but loud enough that he has some white noise screening and more privacy.

Unless it's a bathroom door or a business door, I don't think any door in the family house should lock. Rules of privacy are all that are needed and in case of an emergency all doors will be easliy available.

well, personally as a parent i let my children lock their doors. why? i walked in on my eldest joseph, masterbating. its only natural but its somthing you DONT want to watch. let them lock their doors, when you were little, didnt you want your privacy ;DD

yes they should be able to lock their doors, it's part of their privacy

For the most part yeah, but it depends on the kid/teen. For example, someone with Bipolar could try to kill themselves in their own room if you let them lock the door. Also some teens Cut themselves. So yeah, some kids shouldn't have locks on their doors.

You know what? I have a lock. I'm a teenager. Personally, I never use it. But the only time I do is when I'm doing something I'm not supposed to be doing, which, if they try to open the door and they notice it's locked, obivesly something's going on in there that they probably shouldn't know about. I think bathrooms and the front and back doors should have locks.

Funny story... tonight my lady and I were cooking dinner and our two year old went in his room and accidentally locked the door. He is too young to realize what he did and began crying loudly when he could not open the door. We dont have one of those small picks to open the lock so we got the screwdriver and took the knob off to let him out. Nuts. Nonetheless, I dont think its a good idea to let kids lock themselves away from the parents. I think they should have some privacy, but there is no reason to have a locked door inside a home.

ok well i'm 12 but i have a sister whose 4 and she always wants into my room and bugs me. my parents let me lock my door. most of the times locking doors is necccessary

i think from the age of 16 and onwards teens should b able to lock their bedroom door!because they are at a responsible enough age.they also need theyre privicy and teens get concience at that age i no i stil am

Whats the worst the kid could be up to? Some parents feel the need to constantly know EVERYTHING that their child is doing. Personally, i don't mind going to my parents for advice, and being truthful with them.. But once they start asking for DETAILS about what me and my boyfriend have been up to, or about what exactly I've been doing alone in my candlelit room.... Kids ( especially teens ) need some alone time to figure out themselves. We just need some privacy to explore what they don't yet understand (not just sexuality, but character and mindfulness as well). Sometimes we just need to act stupid, and we would love to do so in private. A closed door can help with that. Similar to why there are locked doors on the bathroom. Sure, you can ask us questions and make sure we don't get in trouble (pregnant, drugs, fights... you name it). But at least give us some privacy when we just need to be alone in our room. Weather its air-guitaring to our favorite band or ... "exploring" our sexual fantasies. Its all natural.

Kids no because if there in there room with there door locked and they get hurt you cant attend to it and if you can attend to it by having the key or breaking in its gonna take longer to attend to it.Teenagers yes they need privacy and every teenager should be allowed to have there bedroom door locked unless there realy disabled or there very suicidal at the time.

Sure... When if they start paying rent!

i know when i was a teenager i masturbated... a LOT... and your kids probably will too... if its locked all the time it might be reason for concern but for 30 minutes an hour at a time is fine

"Having a lock on your door may give you the privacy but what happens behind closed doors is a right that every parent should know and the only way to exercise it is to not have it locked. When my daughter is old enough, we will communicate about privacy and respect but in no way will it lead to a democracy because WE are the leaders in your life and we have to make decisions that affect how you will grow up." Wait, so if we're masturbating or something, your parents shouls have the right to know? Uh, haha, yeah, what a load of bull. I'm sure your daughter is old enough to have her own privacy or else you wouldn't be posting in the teenager category. Leave us the hell alone, you DO NOT have the right to kn ow what goes on behind closed doors just like we don't have the right to butt into your personal/intimate lives.

Oh hell no.!!!!!

Kids no! But teens if they are trusted and are responsible yes for privacy. My house has no locks on any doors but the bathroom.

Everyone need privacy.

When the kids/teens start paying rent, then they are entitled to privacy. Not until then. I would respect their need for their own space, but not "privacy". I didn't have any until I got my own place. Why do they need to lock doors? Who or what do they feel the need to lock out?

Absolutely. I respect my kid's privacy. I know the sort of things I used to do in my room as a teenager, and I would NOT have wanted mummy or daddy coming in on me then.

yes definatley. A bedroom is the only private space for a teen. It's thier own personal space. So if they want to be alone and lock thier door then so be it unless they're in there day in day out and only come out to go to the bathroom.

I agree to yes, teen should be allowed to for their own privacy... esspecially after my bro set a cam in my room while i had sex, makeouts, and changing... I alway hated that parents think the down should be open.

No. They can close their door for privacy, but they shouldn't have any reason to lock it. I never walk into my kid's rooms without knocking first. And siblings are not allowed into other's rooms unless invited. If they don't abide by that, they're punished.

yes kids need to have privacy and they may think your invading there personal property if you dont let them lock your door

Here's a compromise: If a kid has a sibling who won't stay out of their room, they should be allowed to lock the door. But Mom and Dad would also have a key to the kid's room so they could unlock the door in case of an emergency.

When I was growing up, we lived in a house with the old-fashioned locks throughout that used "skeleton" keys. I had a skeleton key for as long as I can remember; it started when I asked my Mom what kind of key fit a funny looking keyhole like that and she went down to the basement and dragged out about a dozen old keys and gave them all to me! Later, when I was a teenager in my senior years of high school and we had government exams for university entrance, I used to have study parties with 1 or more of my friends in my room and yes, we always locked the door. Since we were trying to do well on our exams, and had locked ourselves in to guarantee no interruptions, my parents didn't mind at all.

lmao, I'm sorry but I have to butt in here. I believe that teens SHOULD have locks on their doors and SHOULD be able to use them. Mainly because of siblings/brats barging in, and we ALL know that teens need a bit of privacy sometimes. If you know what I mean.

Everyone is entitled to their privacy.

I have a slightly different POV, actually. As a kid, I had a birth mother who was literally nuts--no respect for my privacy was just a drop in the bucket, bad-parenting-wise. So I had a lock and really needed it. But I've also had an asthma attack in there when I couldn't get the door open... Very scary... My sister's oldest has a lock, because they're widely spaced in age--the 14 year old shouldn't be made to suffer because her sister is 2. I took the locks off of ALL the bedroom doors but mine (and the bathroom door too) when we moved in, because my son was 3--you haven't lived til you've tried to explain how to undo a slide-latch through a door to a panicing 3 year old. I think he was trying to pull it. We'll never really know. My husband and I got to keep ours because we understand how to unlatch them, and we do deserve a little guaranteed privacy.

In some ways yes. You see giving the kid the privalge to have a lock on there door shows that you trust them, building thier realtionship with you, but it can also alow them to get away with things...sneaking out etc.It depends on the kid, and how the react when they are angry.

close? yes. lock? sometimes. my parents only let me shut the door till it's touching the frame, no more, and they barge in whenever they want. ugh. technically, there really should be no reason for kids/teens to need to lock the door, unless they're going through a hard time and need their space. they should get some privacy, unless parents have a legitimate reason to suspect something.

Kids/teens shouldn't have a lock on their doors. In fact, some kids shouldn't have doors on their rooms. Nobody is gonna be climbing out the window if the bedroom door is off the hinges!!

yea , i need i mean im 17 i need alone time wit my boy freind ok if my parents want to see ne doin it

Only if there's no-one else in there with them!

Of course. If my parents want to lock their door when they feel like having some horizontal activity, they'll have to respect that I want so too

No they should be allowed to lock there rooms that is pretty sad locking your bedroom under the same roof as your parents, yes they need privicy but dont bolt the door its not right.

Yeah I think so. Why should parents be able to lock their doors, but not teens?

No. Teens deserve some privacy. If they are doing anything wrong then they most likely won't do in their house because they could easily get caught anyway.

Yes, definately, once they're about 10. Sometimes, they need "private time", or they need to seriously need to figure something out in their lives, that only they can work out. Right now, I'm trying to figure something out that will affect my entire life. While I will not share what I'm trying to figure out, I cannot stress how important privacy is to someone, especially once they start to think seriously about their life.

No I don't think so. I think they should be allowed to close their door to get privacy and that privacy should be respected. But no I don't think they should have any going on in their room that they would need to lock the door.

Yes! Teens need to have that privacy, and the only reason that teens think that they need a lock is because they know that if they dont then someone will invade that privacy. I have openly nosey parents who will go right into my room and go thru everything. It is wrong and teens need the privacy and the space that is theirs.

Depends on the kind of teen you are dealing with. I hope there are still responsible teens. :P

YES, DEFENITELY. Where else will I be able to have sex. You want me to have sex in the bathroom or something??

I think when they're in their late teens they need abit more privacy. Maybe instead of getting a lock just dont interupt your child when they need their space. If your kid wants a lock coz of a relative brother or sister, i totaly understand.

Definitely not. If they really need private time, get them a "Do Not Disturb" sign and let them know you will give them their privacy when they want. Common sense dictates you do not allow a teenager to have unlimited access to privacy, especially if they have a phone and/or computer in their room. That is a recipe for trouble. I don't get the mentality that says a 14 year old has as much "right to privacy" as adults. The fact is, kids are not adults yet and require guidance and supervision until they can learn to be responsible and make decisions on their own.

No!

yes, as long as someone's not in there with them! (I'm a teenager)

I think that really depends on the child/teen. The parents know the kid best, so if their child requested a lock on their door, it'd be down to the parents to make judgment on whether it'd be suitable or not, and to take into consideration why they might be requesting it, even.

Yes, because it gives them privacy and they need to have their privacy, because then they can sort their problems out, by just sitting quietly, and not having a parent banging on their door, telling them to open the door to talk to them, or siblings making them even angrier.

as long as there is no reason to believe the teen is doing drugs or something, i absolutely think it is ok to lock the door. i had no privacy as a kid, not even in the bathroom. i had a stepfather who would walk right in and pee in front of me when i was in the tub. back then, i thought he was just an asshole, now i think he was a pervert, he did it all the time. i realize that is not everyone's case, but i do think kids deserve their privacy, too.

YES i need a lock on my door (partly because i have a 2 yr old sister) i need that absolute sence of privacy. it just makes me feel alot safer aswell! if a teen wants to lock there door let them, a child im not sure, probly not because they can throw tantrums and lock the parents out.

No because a Parent needs to have the ability to make sure a kid doesn't have something they shouldn't have. Privacy is for when you're 18 and out of the house. If my parents didn't invade my privacy when I was younger my life would've turned out badly!

depends on the teen, if you can trust them i would let them