Policy considerations in halakhic rulings

Hello Rabbi,
I wanted to know what you think about the place of “policy considerations” in halakhic rulings. Both in considerations that serve to make things more severe (“slippery slope”, etc.) and in considerations that lead to a lenient ruling (how will the halakhic law appear to the secular/world, will the public not abide by a ruling that is too strict, would it be better for them to be mistaken, etc.).

A. In your opinion, is there any room for a poskim to consider such policy considerations, or should one rely only on the formal halakhic sources? And if such considerations are to be considered, what is the weight of these considerations in the framework of a halakhic ruling? My feeling is that in our generation, poskim give them much more space in the framework of the halakhic discussion than in previous generations. Do you also share this feeling?

B. Is it correct to say that to the extent that such policy considerations must be taken into account, then rulings on important and substantive issues should be left to older and more experienced rabbis and not to young scholars, no matter how great in Torah they may be?
thanks.