In many countries children are obliged to learn a foreign language at a very young age. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?

Nowadays, there is a growing tendency for parents worldwide to insist that their offspring start learning foreign language in the first years of primary schools or even earlier. Although this may offer numerous benefits, it also has several drawbacks, which should be carefully considered. On the one hand, it is well known that knowing a foreign language from a very young age has certain advantages. First of all, children who acquire a foreign language at an early age, they have the opportunity to get a job more easily. This is because they learn the language naturally, as they would their mother tongue. In addition, children knowing a second language may find it easier to travel around the world because they may be more confident to communicate with other people. On the other hand, there are considerable disadvantages regarding young children pushed to learn a second language. Firstly, children at very young age may be confused as they may mix up different words from their mother tongue. Secondly, some children may not prefer struggling to learn an additional language rather than having more time to play. Consequently, they may react negatively to this extra workload, as they are not mature enough to cope with learning a new language. In conclusion, taking both views into consideration, I am convinced that children should be able to choose on their own the ideal age for them to start learning a foreign language. This would be more beneficial for the children and it would make it easier for them to learn.