Universal Basic Income Should Include Kids

Would kids get a universal basic income (UBI)? 

Andrew Yang and other proponents of universal basic income typically say that UBI is for adults 18 and over. 

That doesn't seem very universal to me. 

As I see it, there are five major approaches. 

1. The most common -- the Yang approach -- is that kids don't get any UBI. Not for them, not for their families. Only people age 18 and over get UBI. 

2.  A "child allowance." This approach is gaining in popularity. It means a set amount of money given to parents/guardians for each child. This approach means that adults don't receive UBI for themselves, only for their children, if they have them. 

3. UBI should be extended to kids, but it should be given to the parents or guardians. This would operate like the PFD does in Alaska, where cash payments are made annually to parents/guardians -- a set amount for each child -- and then the parents/guardians can do what they wish with the money. It's basically a combination of approaches 1 + 2. 

4. Give UBI directly to children. Of course, with very young children, the money would need to be put into a trust, so that they have it when they are capable of using it. One notable supporter of this idea is the Stanford philosophy professor Juliana Uhuru Bidadanure, who advocates for this approach in her recent book Justice Across Ages. 

5. Give UBI directly to children, but only above a certain age. For example, all children old enough to work could be given UBI (say, 14 years old, in most U.S. states). 

I think the fourth approach makes the most sense. If it is truly "universal" basic income, it needs to be for everyone, regardless of age. 

Youth poverty is a massive issue. And because most young people can't get paying jobs -- and the jobs they can get are usually low-paying and precarious -- young people especially need the extra financial support. 

Finally -- and this is probably one reason for adult resistance to the idea -- a UBI for kids would mean that kids are no longer as economically dependent on their parents/guardians. Kids would have more independence and more autonomy. They could leave abusive or unhealthy living situations, and they could follow their own path and seek supportive communities. And they would have the resources to do it.