Quote Originally Posted by David75
I'm thinking that her good luck charm is what creates those limits, because it gets too much screentime. It also keeps reminding her of her familly. And for some reason, if I'm not wrong, the other great level 0 we know of also has strong ties with his familly.
I do not remember other espers having familly ties, or at least we did not get to know that.
We do know that espers to be HAVE to be separated from their famillies. I don't know if there's a relationship.

Then, there's the idea that using powers is a danger for the user... explaining why most (if not all) espers are so young. If Saten deep inside, knows that, that could explain why she doesn't express powers. After all, she got the power upper through social pressure, not totally by her own free will.
Using powers are not a danger. Using magic when you have esper powers are, or using esper abilities improperly is (the same as magic). There are so many young espers compared to older ones because research is exploding on how to invoke or develop them, especially in younger individuals, who are more imaginative by nature and should have an easier time creating a personal reality.

While I do think you may be on to something with her charm, being an item of faith that she clings to, most espers not having a close connection to their families is false, same goes for Touma having an especially close one.

Remember that Touma isn't a Level 0 because he doesn't have an ability like Saten does. He is a Level 0 because it is impossible to evaluate his ability by the standards used. In fact, if you were to give him an appropriate level, it would probably be more like negative 5, since he can nullify the powers of two Level 5s that we have seen. Touma's Imagine Breaker is at least equivalent to Level 5.

Most espers appear to not have close ties to their families because their families live elsewhere. Touma's (current) home is within an hour of the shore. Saten's is somewhere in a metropolitan suburb, and so is Mikoto's. Students all gather in Academy City because it has a huge collection of high-end and high-profile schools, and not just for ones that are meant to develop Esper abilities. Touma and Mikoto's schools are both geared towards Esper development, which is why the Level Uppers got a lesson from one of Academy City's leading experts. Tomoe-sensei has a huge collection of books on esper abilities in her apartment, she's very well versed in it, even though she does not have one herself. Saten and Uiharu's school seems more geared towards regular studies, though they have esper development classes.

Espers are only separated from their families because the only places in Japan to develop esper abilities is in Academy City. Touma is as close to his family as any normal person would be. It is his parents that are especially concerned about his well being, at least his father anyway. His mother is certainly the, "ara ara," type of airhead. I think Mikoto and Kuroko are exceptions to the rule, rather than definitions of it. There was that little girl who lost her backback, who also kept a reminder of her family very precious. Most students seem to be that way, rather than isolationists like Mikoto, who certainly has exceptional circumstances.