The reason is because a father is responsible for the sins of his child until the child reaches the age of thirteen, as he should have taught him to refrain from sin. From the age of thirteen he is less responsible. Although, the Chofetz Chaim makes a point of mentioning the dictum of Chazal that one who does not rebuke an older child is considered responsible for his sins, and one who does not rebuke members of a community will be held responsible for their sins as well. Obviously a Halachic authority should be consulted how this should be done.
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