Parents ask constantly at what age a child gets to choose. There is no age. A child's views are one of the considerations a court weighs, and the weight depends on the child, on how the views were formed, and on everything else in the case.
The clearest illustration came from the High Court in 2017.
What gives a child's views weight
- Age and maturity, though maturity is assessed for the individual child rather than by a number.
- Whether the view is consistent over time or appeared during the dispute.
- Whether the child can give reasons that belong to them.
- Whether the view was formed free of pressure, coaching, or a situation one parent created.
- How much the view is about the child's own life rather than about loyalty to a parent.
The part parents get wrong
The fastest way to reduce the weight of your child's views is to be seen to have manufactured them. Discussing the case with a child, showing them documents, or engineering a situation and then pointing to how happy they are in it, all cut against you.
Since May 2024 a child's views sit in the same list of considerations as their safety, their developmental and emotional needs, and the benefit of a relationship with both parents. None of those outranks the others by law. In a real case, safety tends to do a lot of work.
If your teenager is telling you clearly and consistently what they want, that is worth putting before the court properly. Get it there through the right channel, and let it be their voice rather than yours.