Claim: Increasing the legal age of adulthood to 21 gives people more time to develop their cognitive abilities and make responsible decisions.
Begin with a direct quote or piece of textual evidence (in-text citation): Scott Sibley, an assistant professor and associate chair in NIU's Division of Family and Consumer Sciences, asserts that until the age of 25, the brain's prefrontal cortex—which is in charge of comprehending consequences and making long-term decisions—is not fully matured (Beebe).
Sentence that concludes the remark and links the proof to the assertion: This implies that those who are between the ages of 18 and 21 might not have the mental development required to make mature, responsible judgments.
Lead-in and transition, use a direct quote or piece of textual evidence (in-text citation): Additionally, it was discovered by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement that youth
You are not legally an adult until you turn 21. You are only considered an adult at 18, 19, and 20 under some circumstances like being able to vote, join the military, or buy cigarettes. Some people might think that you are a grown adult by the time you’re 20, but you’re in reality still a child that is almost an adult, cuz it’s one year away from 21.
1
Much like the article stated, your brain and general body don't stop developing fully until age 25, however, other scientific reports have shown that though this is the case, the necessary decision-making and clarity segments of one's brain would have developed by the age of 21. With this in mind, the age of 21 for all adult-related abilities makes sense. However, with the way things currently are, having the legal age to become an adult stand at 18 yet remove several of the advantages of being an adult simply doesn't add up to me. If one is legally marked as an adult on all accounts, then why prohibit certain adult things when allowing others? Altogether, an entire redesign of the legal adult age in the US would be required and whole new regulations, rights, and laws would likely need to be put in place. Factor in the idea that states have different limits and allowances on things, it makes it all more complicated. Plus, the number of previously registered adults having that change would be quite unusual and a large adjustment. Considering the scientific side of the matter, however, would clearly prove that such adulthood areas be moved to the age of 21 at least, as that would be the most proper and fair way to modify things.
There are a lot of things to consider when becoming an adult. The article says, "Eighteen-year-old adults can run for office, go to strip clubs, be sentenced to life in prison, and volunteer to go to war or be drafted, but as of last December, they cannot vape or smoke tobacco products." Technically, you become an adult by law at 18 years old. Mentally, you don't fully become an adult until your mid twenties. Your brain doesn't fully develop until your mid twenties as well, so ultimately, you can't make the best decisions on your own. In the United States, you do get to do a lot when you turn 18 as evidenced above. For me, not much will change besides getting my full license.
Becoming an adult is not just age. Becoming an adult is getting responsibilities. Some kids have to become adults a lot sooner than most people do. When you are 16 and are paying the bills in the house and taking care of your younger siblings you are an adult no matter what your age is. As I approach the age of 18 when I legally become an adult I feel like nothing is really going to change. I have had a job since I was 16 and I can drive myself to and from places. The only new thing I can do at the age of 18 is be able to vote.
I think you become an adult when you can open a child proof medicine jar. No seriously, I think that should be our standards. But by the same token, the literal definition of adult is your not an adult until you 20. Because eight-TEEN, nine -TEEN, (both teenagers), then twenty. Twenty doesn't have teen so just saying. ALL WORDS PREVIOUS TO THESE ARE PLAYFUL AND JOKING!!! =)
But like there are an infinitely many factors, voting, military, drinking, renting, smoking, adulting. Like these are many many different variables that affect when you become an "adult." So I don't know, really depends. No comment.
I think parents/voters should be responsible for making these decisions and setting age requirements. I think it is important that these people make these decisions. And that they should be based on a variety of things like brain development, and maturity.
I think the youngest age for doing “adult activities” is 18. I believe when you become an adult you should be able to have all of the rights for being that age. I don't understand why they make rules for when you turn 21 because you are an adult when you turn 18. You can be living in your own house paying bills and going to strip clubs but you can't drink alcohol? People end up getting things illegally anyways so I believe you should get all of the percs when you turn 18.
To be or not to be an adult. What an interesting and appropriate question for our time. In the article it talks a lot about drinking and the age requirements that come with it. In Alaska teens can get legally married at 14, which in my opinion is crazy for our day in age when young people are truly immature and have not been given a proper education by their parents on how to be an adult. Personally I think the voting age should be moved back up to 21, with so many teens being highly influenced by their parents, and not being able to make a decision on their own.
So then what constitutes being an adult? In my opinion when most people think of an adult they think about someone who is mature and responsible. So then if it is a fact about being mature, then I believe you can “technically” be considered an adult at any age, if you have the maturity and ability to handle responsibilities to go along with it. If we take a ride down memory lane to 1942 during WW2, we can see so many young men at the age of 18 who flew through lightning storms, while fighting the Japanese at the same time. In my opinion that is someone who I want voting for president. Not the 18 year old's nowadays, who sit in their mom's basement playing COD, while eating Cheetos and drinking Pepsi. What nowadays is considered being responsible and adult like, would be something our great grandparents did when they were 12.
@K, Block 4 And that's not to shame anyone, just to see that the standards have changed. And to follow with what I said earlier about being able to be mature at any age, I want to finish with just because you are mature at 15, does not mean that you should have the same privileges and responsibilities that a 25 year old does. To be an adult has changed over the years, but one fundamental truth has prevailed, to be an adult means you are mature and able to make decisions on your own. And if you can do that you should not be considered a child any more, and be looked at more like an adult(without all the responsibilities).
There's a point in life when you reach a level of maturity where your intelligence and sexual desires are clearly developed. There's no concrete age for when this happens, rather each individual experiences this differently. The average age however, when taking everyone into consideration is about 18 years old. This is the traditional cutoff age for adulthood throughout most of the world, and for good reason. Society has seemed to have done a pretty good job at this, in terms of being quite accurate of determining the age at which one can legally be considered an adult. Sure, there are some restrictions regarding age when it comes to adulthood. In the United States, you turn 18 and carry most of the responsibilities and rights of an adult. You can vote, move out of your parent's house, sign yourself out of high school, get married, go to war, sue someone, be sued, and be held accountable for any crime. Some of the responsibilities are quite scary, but they're no issue if you're a decent, responsible individual. But what about alcohol? What about cigarettes and cannabis? What about renting a car? You can't do these things at 18, you have to be at least 21 years old. Why? Well you can do that research on your own. I have very few words I can type because of the word limit. The main idea though is that the government recognizes the potential dangers of allowing 18+ year old's to have access to such substances/responsibilities. They don't want you bringing that stuff to school.
This is an interesting and thought-provoking question. In three months I will legally be an adult but I feel as though I will be a child forever. I have always felt young at heart and stopped playing with toys long after my friends. I do not think becoming an adult should be limited to any age. Every person matures at a different rate. I already have some responsibilities that feel "adult" to me such as working a job, driving, cooking, and cleaning. Age-wise, it should be legal for a person to vote before drinking and smoking. This generation has proven to be more involved and aware of politics. They have not however been very responsible with alcohol and cigarettes.
When I was younger, I always thought being an adult meant you have it all together and are not scared of anything. It is like the lyrics of "When I grow up" from Matilda. "When I grow up, I will be brave enough to fight the monsters that I need to fight beneath the bed each night to be a grown-up." I thought grown-ups were invincible. But now as I grow close to the official adult age, I know this is far from the truth. In my opinion, being an adult is having enough discipline to not watch Netflix all day and to actually get up out of bed when no one is forcing you to. Being an adult is having the motivation to make a difference in the world or even one person's day.
Do I feel like an adult now? I do not feel like an adult and for me to reach adulthood is when I go to college and pay my own bills. I do believe that there is a certain age or have a specific responsibility. For me to transition to adulthood is when I get out of my parent's house. What I think should be the legal minimum age in certain things like voting and getting married should be 18 I feel that a good age for me. When it comes to guns and alcohol I believe you should be 21 that stuff can be so harmful to you and the people around you. I think the ones that should be responsible for setting these age requirements should be the government because they study about this stuff I don't think the ages are a problem for me there somewhat understanding. How I feel about the voting age in the united states is a great age to vote because it a big responsibility and helps us to make our own decisions.
After reading the article, I've reluctantly concluded that lawmakers have no idea what they are doing. I say this because I agree that if people 18 and over are required to pay rent, pay taxes, have a job, and continue in life as law-abiding citizens, they should be allowed some of the "benefits" of adulthood. But I find it concerning that you only have to be 18 to buy a gun or join the military. The way I see it at 18 you can't buy alcohol or nicotine because it's bad for your brain, but you can buy a gun or join the military where you carry and or own a weapon used for killing. It just doesn't make sense.
Furthermore, you are deemed eligible to vote at the age of 18 and do your part in choosing the president but you can't choose what you put into your own body? Obliviously I understand that every person matures at a different rate and I know that lawmakers have to create a law that will blanket all of society. All I am saying is that some laws need major revision and that it shouldn't be so frowned upon. Revision and change is a good thing, it shows that we've progressed as a society and have come to new understandings that are better, safer, and smarter.
After reading this article, it's revealed more things to me that I never previously thought about. At the same time, it gave meaning and reasoning to some opinions I have formed. Being almost 17, "adulthood" is coming at me fast. In almost exactly one year, I will be able to pay taxes, live on my own, marry, and many other things. As someone who is still anxious about their ability to buy food at a grocery store, the anxiety only grows when I realize how close I am to all of these responsibilities. I have always considered the automatic "once you turn 18 you're an adult and now are responsible for everything in your life" to be too abrupt and I feel that it brings stress to the person turning that age, and to society as this person is now expected to fully play their role in it. That could just be my personality talking. However, I feel that the age of which drinking, voting, court trials, and other activities is accurate and well suited for a persons age. But the maturity of each individual can be skewed when they see all the freedom they have. And immature individuals can cause danger in the event that they abuse these priveledges.
I do not feel like I am in Adulthood right now. I do not feel like I am in adulthood because I don't have the many responsibilities/freedoms an adult has yet. Yes, I do think that being an adult is linked to age and responsibilities because your brain changes as you get older, and having certain responsibilities proves in a way your maturity and how fast you are aging. Yes, I do think there are certain rights that would help demonstrate your adulthood.
After reading Nicole Daniels' article "When Do You Become an Adult?", my opinion is that lawmakers are undecided on what age an individual has the maturity to be given the privileges mentioned in the article. Such decisions are difficult as each individual is different, and the next generations are developing such unconnected perceptions of matters that where once seemingly clear. It would be bias to compare the U.S's laws to that of other countries or vice versa. I feel that a person should not be given privileges solely based on a number, but mainly an age which maturity is majority or 75%- 80% based on understanding and mental capability. Only 35% of America's teens have a job, which is the minority including the age of 19. About 215,000 serious violent crimes per year are committed by teens between the ages of 12 and 17 in the United States (25% of crimes committed). 8.4 million teens in America have depression. Based on this information I would have to say if the legal age minimum is changed for any law that includes adult privileges, it should be raised, until there is proof that lowering the age minimum is in the best interest of young adults physically, mentally and emotionally.
After reading Nicole Daniels’ informational text, titled “When Do You Become An Adult” , I am able to conclude that becoming an adult is not defined simply by age, but rather by one's personal responsibilities coupled with their individual maturity levels. Although politically, it is understandably deemed essential to put an age on adulthood for privilege purposes, Daniels conjures an interesting point by stating “ 18 year olds can...volunteer to go to war or be drafted, but … cannot vape or smoke tobacco products”(Daniels , 8). Although I concur with adolescents being ineligible to purchase or use tobacco products, ultimately the bigger message is that youths should not be exploited by their age deeming their adulthood. In society adulthood is unique for every individual, however politically, I challenge fellow readers to come to the understanding that ultimately responsibility should come hand in hand with privilege in determining the status of an adult.
1
Adulthood should not be defined by any definite regulations, such as age. Becoming an adult is intertwined, and to an extent defined by the maturity levels of a person. If looked at in this perspective the term ‘adult’ becomes more about an individual, and in turn, more comprehensive. The United States is a very diverse country, with people in very diverse circumstances. Unfortunately, there are children in their tenth birthday who have faced more challenges, than an eighteen year old heading to college. Because of the varying levels of hardship in our lives, I believe that we as a community should challenge the current standard of what an adult is.
When the topic of becoming an adult it shouldn't be all about age, it should be about the mindset and the attitude of the teen that's becoming an adult. When becoming of age if you still have the mindset of a teenager you will never truly grow up. Of course age plays a huge role in adulthood but when we talk about drinking and smoking at a certain age it doesn't make sense to me. Young adults are still able to do those things even though they are not of age. Different countries around the world have different age limits for certain things some place the legal drinking age is 18 and in the US it is 21, the age 18 is automatically the age you associate becoming an adult with. At the same time here in the US turning 18 doesn't give you all the advantages of being an adult. For me becoming an adult doesn't matter about age what matters is the maturity of your mindset and attitude.
There are varieties of privileges and responsibilities that can make someone an adult. Such as owning a fire arm, a drivers licence, bigger legal consequences, drinking. These things don't happen all at once, they are similar to steps. As you grow up, you work your way up these steps. I feel like the age you become an adult is 21, everything is coming together and you are ready to move on to bigger things than before on your own.
Becoming an adult is an important part of a person's life, but when is It acceptable for someone to be called an adult? As a kid growing up it is more common for people to tell you to act like an adult or you're becoming more like an adult. Becoming an adult is a gift with many reasonabilities. You may be able to do things that you weren't as a kid but now you have to be responsible for your actions.
Many different states and countries have different age restrictions for different things. For example, you may be able to get a drivers licenses at 15 in Hawaii but you cant get a liences at 15 in can't in texas. with different laws mean different restrictions about what you can do. Becomein an adult means that there are a bunch of new opportunities to choose from as mabey to getting a job and a lot more.
When will I feel like an adult? As of now I don't feel like an adult. I think I will feel like an adult when I graduate, go off to college and experience things on my own away from my parents. Voting and drinking will also help me demonstrate my adulthood. I think the minimum legal age for getting married should be 18 and older. For activities like drinking, buying cigarettes, and having a firearm should be at least 21 or older in my opinion. We don't want people who are 18 to have any of those things because it can be dangerous to them and others.
The government should be responsible for setting these requirements because they can be the ones deciding if they want young adults having all those things. I think that it is especially important that their brain develops before they do any of these things, but for now it should at least be they age of 21 where they can drink, smoke, etc. I think that age 18 is a good legal age for voting because they are students who just graduated high school, are going to live their lives in college, and now are doing things without their parents. This is when I believe we will become adults.
I feel like at this age I am not an adult. I am not fully prepared to take on the responsibilities adulthood has to offer right now. In the future I will be ready but I think having the responsibilities of driving a car and having a job as well as school is a good starting point towards my independence of the adulthood. I feel like as we age more into the ages for 25-30 we should be given more responsibilities. Because as it states in the article "The scientific consensus that most brains do not fully develop until age 25". I feel like drinking and smoking should either stay at its current age or later because of this. If your brain is still developing then why would you want to ruin its development at an even younger age?
Now when you turn 18 there are a lot more challenges you have to face unlike 16, you are allowed to decide to go into the military and vote and even decide if you want to move out of your parents house and possibly graduate from high school around this time to decide what your next step in life is. I definitely don't think its a good idea to have every challenge adults face be presented to use at a certain age we turn into. slowly being presented these challenges as we grow sounds like a better plan. And I am sure some people would agree.
People say that "with great power comes great responsibility". But what does that really mean? If I were to tell you you could drink at the age of 18, would you drink and drive? If I were to tell you that you could vote at the age of 18, would you vote impulsively or not take it seriously? Some of you would say no and some would say yes, but the bottom line is everyone's responsibility level is different.
Sometimes young adults or teens need the ability to make mistakes in order to learn what a huge responsibility being an adult is. The drinking and voting age is fine just where it is, three to four years isn't going to change someone's life, but it is up to us to give them the opportunity to learn what it is to be fully responsible for their actions.
In my own opinion, I feel like you can relatively choose when you become an "adult." This might be different but if society says that we all become adults at 16-21 (depending on where you are in the world) then I wonder how some younger people can be more mature and level headed to make better decisions then those of which they are supposed to "look up to." Yes, I know eventually you have to be an adult no matter what, and yes when you are 18 you are supposed to have more responsibilities going forward into "adult hood." I've seen many childish things being done by my elders who are either going into or have been in adulthood and I really wonder if they are even ready even though society says so.
Another thing is that going to adulthood you are to be more of an example for the little ones or even others your same age. The way I see it being 18 and having to already guide others through life when you most likely don't even have your own figured out is really stressful. It can be very depressing also for these new adults to know that they have to grow up and leave a lot of their childhood/ good memories behind to make new ones in adult life.
Becoming an adult is a trick subject, just because that term is so broad. At 16, you can get your drivers license. At 18, you can have longer jail time sentences. At 21, you are allowed to drink. Growing up, I heard my parents refer to people as "kids". I got confused, as they were much older than I was, and I was a kid. As they aged, the age limit for being a "kid" in their eyes expanded. When I'm with younger people, such as preschoolers, they think being 16 is the requirement for being an adult. It's difficult to say when there's no set "title" or distinction.
I think that becoming an adult happens at 18, and once you have experience you get to try more things. 18 would be the first step into adulthood. That's the age when you start to figure out what you want to do in life, and what you're going to contribute to society. Some guidelines are taken off in life, and it may become a little more challenging. 21 is when you unlock another step in adulthood. More things are open and available. If it were up to me, I would probably just make everything happen at the same age (I have no idea which I would choose), just because that makes more sense). It's a tricky and confusing topic.
It is a fuzzy line between being a teen an adult is it when you turn 18,21, or later in life. I do not believe that age defines being an adult it is more based on the challenges one faces and how they have developed from their past experiences. Many people compare adulthood to maturity levels but I believe that it revolves around independence. As you grow up there are times when you gain a lot of independence like getting your license or going to live on your own at college. To me these steps in life bring upon opportunities for each individual to face tasks and decisions that shape each person. Yes some of these may correlate with a certain age but not all of them do. Resulting from this, I believe that there should not be an age defining becoming an adult. It is a slow process that forever continues. We are going to keep gaining more independence and keep learning and improving as a person as life goes on and eventually going to be considered an adult.
I think if we actually encouraged people to rethink adulthood until around 25-30, and our institution allowed for more infrastructure for kids up to these ages, you would actually see a lot more developed individuals later down the line and therefore stronger households down the line, decreasing the likelihood of future generations growing up in broken household and shitty circumstances that force them to take on adult tasks before they are biologically ready. Just think about it, the individuals who have changed society the most are typically from well off families with tons of support. Not the ones worrying about paying bills at 20 or taking care of siblings at 22. Sure there are anomalies, but it goes along with Maslows Heirarchy. When you are worried about basic necessities when you are 20, there’s not a whole lot of room for self actualization and significant intellectual growth. I think people need to stop placing emphasis on when people “do adult things” and more on when they are fully formed, intellectual individuals. This is when they can make the best impact on society.
TLDR: 18/21 has no biological basis to being an adult, as as we live longer it makes no sense why we shouldn’t continue to support growing individuals whose brain does not stop growing until around 25-30, which is we when are adults, biologically speaking. It will only uplift our society. Science speaks.
Personally, I don’t think that you bring an adult should be based on concrete values like age, rather your transition into adulthood should be determined by your experiences. The term “adulthood” is usually attributed to the level of maturity that I’ve given beginning at the age of 18 when you can vote, 21 when you are allowed to drink, or 22 when most people start to graduate college. I consider an adult someone who can be mature and make mature decisions, as well as to do things on your own, and be responsible for yourself to be considered an adult. They also must be able to take care of themselves to be considered an adult by me. Adulthood is more of a mental state than an emotional state.
I dont think being adult should be determined by concrete values like age. Rather, adulthood should be determined by experiences. For much of history, a great deal of youth have had to roll up their sleeves physically, mentally, and emotionally and enter the world as adults before their age has dictated them to do so. You see articles on this very website about kids having to grow up before they were actually grown up. In the most unfortunate cases, you hear stories of kids who had only experienced a sliver of their youth before their responsibilities went to take on greater forms and make them more mature. The term “adulthood” usually attributes levels of maturity to a given age beginning at the age of 18 when you’re allowed to vote, 21 where you’re allowed to drink, or 22, when most people graduate college and covers certain milestones like your first professional job out of college or your first child. However, I think acting like an adult is more of a mindset than a milestone: something that a lot of young people have no choice but to subconsciously adapt. Whether it’s finding an “off the books” job at 15 to support your family, taking care of your younger siblings because your parent never stops working or dealing with the death, imprisonment, or displacement of a family member, the maturity needed to enter the world is determined by experiences, not so much by age.
I don’t think that there is a specific age that someone becomes an adult. Even though the legal age for adulthood in America is 18, I think some people become adults before and after. I consider an adult someone who can be mature and make mature decisions. I also think that you must be able to do things on your own and be responsible for yourself to be considered an adult. They also must be able to take care of themselves to be considered an adult by me. I feel like being an adult is more of a mental state than a physical state.
I don’t think that there is a certain age in which we become an adult but it’s more about your maturity level and the responsibilities that your give, that can force you to grow up faster. The government sees you as an adult when your eighteen and start to vote and be tried as an adult but at that age you’re still in high school and still living in your parents house. Which are not things that adults do. Adults live on there own, maybe married or have pay for themselves and have other people to take care of and worry about. This doesn't happen to everyone at the same time. So I don't think that theres a standard age that everyone become an adult but more a certain place in your life.
I definitely don’t feel as though I am an adult now. Legally, I’m only 10 months away from being considered an adult, but my life won’t change drastically the day I turn 18. I think that you become an adult when you are completely financially independent from your parents. There are obviously certain rights that come with turning 18, such as the right to vote, but I like how we are gradually given more rights as we age. When you turn 16 you can drive and get a job, at 18 you can vote, at 21 you can drink, and now smoking and vaping have been moved from 18 to 21 in many states. Some things I’ve done recently that have helped me prepare for adulthood are getting a job and a debit card and using them may make me feel like an adult, I’m not deluded to believe that it makes me an adult. The idea that some can get married at 14 is ridiculous to me; at 14 years old you are a child, how could you possibly be sure you have found someone to spend the rest of your life with that young? I think that the age for getting married, voting, smoking, vaping, and drinking should all be changed to 25. According to the article, a “scientific consensus [concluded] that most brains do not fully develop until age 25.” By this logic, it seems outrageous to allow citizens with undeveloped brains make political decisions or decisions that can affect their life on a long-term scale, such as marriage.
There are a lot of responsibilities to become an adult such as paying your taxes, paying your bills, or going to work. I think it is fair to become an adult at the age of 18 because it just prepares you for when you actually are an adult.
i think is fair to become adult at the age of 18 you need to be more responsible
i think that you are mature when you can apologize for a mistake you've made without someone else making you do it.
Headline: When Will We Be Adults?
I do not feel like an adult at all right now. If I have any financial issues I rely on my parents or just don’t buy what I’m interested in. I don’t have any financial responsibilities.
I don’t think your age defines how much of an adult you are, it is the actions you take. If you are mature and show that you can be responsible.
Everything government related should be age related because not everyone is responsible. Whoever is restricting the age limit on certain things is doing just fine. Taking surveys to find the most beneficial ages to acquire things and go places is a good thing.
Yes, I would trust one of my peers. People with strong confidence stand out and can find what is best for the majority and speak for the people.
Something they will need is credibility. I am not gonna put my trust in some random guy, but I would put my trust in someone I have known for a while or someone with a lot of money because clearly they know how to work the system and talk to people.
The voting age should remain the same. If I were to go vote right now it would be based off of who is the funniest and what other people say. I am not responsible enough to be an informed citizen and find a candidate's true beliefs.
I think that your claim that actions describe our true age is more accurate than how the government immediately treats us as adults at 18. Higher responsibility is something that we’re met with as adults, but I feel that our mental age doesn’t always coincide with our actual one. Credibility is a good way to think of being an adult, and I think if our age as being true adults rose to give more time to mentally develop, it would feel more accurate to becoming an adult at that age, instead of just turning 18.
I don't feel like an adult right now because there are so many things that I can't do. I definitely agree that there should be an age restriction on certain adult activities because your brain isn't fully developed until you are around 25. I think that the government should be responsible for setting the age requirements for drinking, voting, driving, ect.
I personally if I am completely honest with myself and everyone else that will come across this comment I am typing out, I am physically not an adult for I am only 16 years of age, but mentally I believe that I am an adult because of the way I was raised, I learned how to take a lot more things in differently and I was taught, shown, and seen many different things at a young age allowing me to mentally be older than my actual age. I do think that once I do hit adulthood physically things will change and I will see things differently and grow mentally as well. As you can see I believe that adulthood is a mind set and does not always have to be about your age.
@Emmanuel Cereceres I agree with this perspective and concur this to be a common interpretation based on the experiences of my peers and I. I think your mental age can be drastically different from your actual age. I also think there are strong examples that confirm this to be true. There are adults who are financially irresponsible and immature with their ability to handle tasks and responsibilities like their families, work, and more. Similarly, there are children who pay the bills for their parents, look after their siblings as if they are their parent, and overall, must learn to adapt to being mature at a faster rate and younger age. I know a lot of my peers are more responsible that some adults I've met for these reasons and more.
I don't think there is a certain age for when one becomes an adult. There are different citations in ones life that makes certain people grow up sooner than others. I think you are considered as an adult when you are capable of supporting yourself.
To become an adult is when you are able to maintain yourself without the help of your parents. When you start making your own choices will be when you should be allowed to do whatever you want within buying a gun, Going to vote, Buying alchohol ect. Many people take time to mature and some never mature at all. When someone gets their place and a job then they will be given the right to live their own life and do anything they want. That being said they will also face the consequences as any adult would.
@Dezi I think as adult they do have to have the right to their own life and do whatever they want. That is a very good point you make. The thing is that doesn't mean they shouldn't still trust and listen to older people and their parents.
Personally I can't call myself an adult mainly because of my age and also on just my life experience. And what I mean about life experience I mean that I can say that there are people in the world that didn't have the privilege and ease like people like me have been blessed with through our childhood years. And on top of that, those kids had to live that childhood with experiences that forced them to open up to the reality and sociability of life at a very young age based off of their living situation as opposed to others like me so yes, for different people that progression mentally of adulthood varies greatly based of the experiences said person has have to endeavor to be where they are now. I don't think adulthood has an age from the mental perspective but of course physically and legally that word applies greatly too.
@Paul Macdonald You make some good points. It really does come down to experience. If there was a 20 year old who was just overprotected by his parents, he would not be a responsible adult. On the other hand, if there was a 17 year old who has strict parents who raised them right, this person could think a lot more rationally than the other person.
I do not feel like an adult, I think adulthood is based on your independence. If you can provide for yourself in every way then you can consider yourself an adult. I am completely dependent on my parents so I do not consider myself an adult. I think that voting is a good way to demonstrate your adulthood, being active in our government is very important and shows a lot of maturity. I think that when you turn 18 you should be open to most things like serving in the military, being tried as an adult, and getting married. I think that it is probably best to keep the smoking and drinking age at 21. The reason they were made to be 21 is because there were problems before, so we can assume that if we brought them down to 18 again the same problems would present themselves. I do not think that we should bring the voting age up to 21. If men could be drafted at 18 years old then they deserve to have a say in what is going on in the government.
@Emma McLaughlin , With your point made on the level of maturity and experience with life like our living situation with parents has a very strong point that were not solely relying on ourselves. That when as kids and young adults we have that fallback plan if something doesn't workout and an assistance to our necessities. as what some could say is the concrete label for parents and why they hold that importance to the other image to adulthood. I also agree with the health wise point made on how smoking and drinking should be joined to both meet 21. It's such a setback to young entrepreneurs to be putting the risk of succession for your future with labeled addiction and health issues.
4
@Emma McLaughlin I agree that if you can be drafted you have a right to vote. I however do not agree to some extent that being an adult is based on independence.
I think that you become an adult when you can successfully maintain your own life without having to depend on others and having to rely on someone else to do what is yours to do. I feel that if you are able to take care of yourself and be able to hold your own you are an adult. The age does not matter, those are there for laws and such reasons. The age is just a number we follow by to keep track of time. If you are able to be responsible, maintain your own life, all on your own and sustain that. You are able to call yourself an adult and be able to classify as an adult. It does not matter on the age.
@Adrian Resendiz
I agree with your statements, I think that when you can completely support yourself you are able to call yourself an adult. I do think some of our laws demonstrate that we need to be fully moved into adulthood at 18 and that is just not true for everyone.
I believe to be an adult is to be responsible. No one can classify someone else as an adult, nor can an age classify someone as an adult. You know that youre an adult once you can support, as well as take care of yourself. Being an adult is having responsibilities, as well as fulfilling these responsibilities. Being able to be classified as an adult is also being able to be classified as mature. You cannot possibly get what needs to get done, done or take care of yourself successfully if youre not truly mature with the lifestyle youre choosing to live. If you can clearly take care of yourself as well as support yourself while maintaining your responsibilities before you reach eighteen, they you may be considered an adult before you turn eighteen, however not legally of course. Being an adult is a mindset and a way of live, not an age, in my opinion.
Someone becomes an “adult” when they are able to successfully take care of themselves, no matter what age they are at. Some become adults before their thirteenth birthdays, while some don’t reach it until they are 30. Those who lose parents in their childhood are forced to mature at a younger age than those who do not: they are forced to become independent. In contrast, those who depend on their parents until well into their lives are not adults; they have yet to learn how to survive independently. In the case of my family, my siblings have (as I most likely will) become independent through the process of going through college. My parents decided that it was best for their children to be completely cut off from them economically and politically once they reach college. They believed it would prepare us more effectively for the real world. And they are right so far; all my siblings have had seamless transitions to the working world from college.
Being an adult means something different for everyone. For some it simply means turning 18. For others, it means moving out and living on your own, or starting your first job and making your own money, or any other major milestone in life. The thing that all these have in common, is that you have to start taking responsibility for your own life to be considered an adult. Scientists have proven that your brain isn’t fully developed until you turn 25, so why do we consider people younger than that adults?
I think that if society says that when you turn 18 you are mature enough to be drafted and to move out and live on your own, you should be mature enough to drink alcohol if you choose. The truth is, those who are already underage drinking aren’t going to stop just because it’s illegal, and those who really are mature enough to handle it will know how to limit themselves. Minimum age requirements are good for lots of “adult” things, so that young people are protected, but if society just expects everyone to grow up overnight when they turn 18, they should be allowed other rights too.
1
@Skye Solomon I believe we view many people under the age of 25 as adults is mainly because many are forced to grow up due to the environment they grow up in. For example people that parents aren’t present for whatever reason are forced to take on that role of maturity, or where a teenager is forced to take a job to help pay rent. In my opinion I believe one can truly call themselves an adult when they have gone through enough hardships and life changing experiences so they can truly scope the understanding of life. I believe this branding of turning 18 is synonymous with adulthood is redundant because in turn this new found freedom leads abusing these privileges. Such as drinking, when teenagers are finally exposed to this pastime at least legally they often abuse it to the point of relapse. The title of reaching adulthood can be applied to a person when they truly understand the consequences of their actions and experienced enough hardships to have a mature outlook on the situation at hand.
I have no qualms in saying I am nowhere close to feeling like an adult. I will reach adulthood the day I take full responsibility for my actions with the repercussions without anyone’s help at all, also when my liver doesn’t do a quadruple backflip when I take a sip from the church wine. Adulthood should be based off of the physical condition of a person as well as the emotional maturity, and if American cinema has taught me anything you’re not emotionally mature until your 4 years out of high school. If American cinema has also taught me anything is that the ages of 18-21 will do whatever they want, so I think making the legal drinking and voting ages 18 makes sense, however if these rights are abused to heavily you have to wait until your 21 to gain back these privileges. These are the cornerstones of adulthood, to me at least.
Comment:
Legally when you turn 18 you are an adult. But it may vary for different people and families. Some people might think, well once you are in high school you're expected to act like an adult. Or some people think that if you get a job then you are expected to act like an adult even if you are still only 16 and 17. When you turn 21 you are allowed to do more things because you are considered an “adult' ' in society's view. So many adults expect so much out of us but then they turn around and treat us like kids when we mess up. It's like if you want us to act like adults then you need to treat us like adults.
Becoming an adult is based upon things that you are able to do or the age that the law says you become one and less on your actions. One night before your 18th birthday you are legally still a teenager then a few seconds go by, nothing changes and then suddenly you are an adult. Nothing changed actions wise just the number you identify as your age changes. However in America you are 21 when you are allowed to do adult things but 18 when you are treated like an adult, for instance you are 18 when you get adult sentences in court. It is very confusing knowing what actually makes you an adult and I feel that it's just maturity and the way you act in your life because in many other countries they give people younger then 21 way more adult responsibilities.
The legal age of becoming an adult in the United States is 18 years old. I personally have no clue why 18 is such a big year and is known as the year you turn into an adult. You do get a few more rights than what you used to have but overall nothing really changes. If I had to pick an age for what I think makes you an adult it would be 21. The reason I think this is not only because you are able to purchase and drink alcohol legally, but mainly that at this age your brain is completely developed which I think should mean you are a fully grown adult.
I don't believe there is a certain formula for becoming an adult, once you hit 18 you are not initiated into adulthood. Being an adult is a level of maturity that some legal "adults" lack. People seem to think that adults are always right, but the truth is age is just a number. They are bluffing their way through questions the same as you and me, they still struggle to open jars, and stub their toes on door frames. Adults are not perfect however, real adults must have the ability to handle their responsibilities as well as care for their family. They must be able to take care of themselves and take on the duties that come with adulthood, such as taxes, mortgages, cooking, cleaning, and even grocery shopping. Adulthood is remembering things on your own without your mom's reminders, and it can get hard, but nobody ever said it was going to be easy. Nobody ever said you would mentally become an adult at 18 years old, you have to work for it.
When you turn 18 you are considered an adult. But what does it even mean to be an adult? Yes, when you turn 18 you can buy lottery tickets, vote, buy cigarettes, and get a tattoo without a parents consent. But how does this make you an adult? It’s not like when you wake up on your 18th birthday you automatically change into what an adult supposedly is. I think that being an adult has to do with maturity rather than age.
@Bailey Hughes
Yes i also believe that a human being becomes an adult with their level of maturity, but not necessarily once they turn eighteen. Everybody has a different level of maturity and some people already have the maturity level of a 50 year old at the young age of 10 or vice versa. Yes, at eighteen a lot more opportunities open up to you like voting or buying lottery tickets. You are also treated with a little more respect now that you have reached the age of “Adulthood” as you are expected to act like every other person that is eighteen or up.
An adult -a person who is fully grown or developed. People don’t understand the definition of an adult. My opinion on when you become an adult is when your old enough to take responsibilities for not just your self but others as well. Someone who can take care of their selfs and not have to rely on others. I personally don’t think your an adult at 18 when your on your own nor 21 when you can drink and do what you want. I don’t think the adult faze hits until your actually out of college getting e of the real world. Finding your own, finding who you really are, finding out what your actually capable of. Being mature has a lot to do with being an adult you can fine a 16 year old who’s mother is never around, has a job, takes care of her brother and sisters and still has time to get good grades. Now just because she isn’t of age, the way she carries herself and other makes her mindset look better then a 34 year old who’s still trying to figure out life. We all grow in different ways and it also takes more time for some. Yet we all will reach different ages when we actually become an adult.
Technically, society starts to view people as adults when they are 21. I don't think that adulthood has an age however, I think that you officially are an adult when you don't depend on your parents to pay for your things. Adults can fully support themselves, in my opinion, this is the most telling factor of adulthood. Being financially stable on your own doesn't necessarily happen at 21 so I strongly believe there is no age, theres just a certain level of maturity and independence you reach when you become an adult.
The concept of coming to an agreement on this topic will neve occur due to the different opinions throughout. However, I believe the majority need to gather and discuss at an appropriate age for these “adult” activities. In my opinion, the suitable age is 18. While some of these tasks can cause more consequences to yourself and others, there needs to be a standard age where you are considered an adult and are allowed these rights. If you have the ability to enlist in the army and serve our country, you should be able to do simple things such as purchase alcohol. However, while many negatives may come out of this, I don’t believe there is an age where everyone will do these activities in a positive way. There will always be a negative side and those who do inappropriate things, this is inevitable. In saying so, I believe 18 should be the age all across the board, and with these privileges comes many responsibilities hand in hand.
I think the legal minimum for doing “adult” activities such as: getting married, purchasing alcohol, purchasing cigarettes, owning a firearm, and being tried as an adult in court should be 18 because if you’re old enough to make a decision on who to vote for or who to marry then you should be able to decide if you want to buying certain products such as cigarettes or alcohol. I think making the minimum age requirement for any of these things above 18 is further inhibiting people from learning how to making their own decisions.
(part 1) I don’t believe I’m an adult at this point in my life. I am almost 16, which may sound old but in the grand scheme of things I am just barely starting my life. To me, an adult is someone who is able to teach the next generation of youth on their own, whether it’s through kids of their own or as a teacher, or a number of other ways. But, of course, when you start driving and working and drinking you will no longer be viewed as a child. You are constantly growing and learning and at some milestones you should be held to a higher expectation, but I don’t think there is a certain age that differentiates between child and adult. “If 18-year-olds are burdened with the responsibility of adulthood, they should be afforded some of its privileges,” said Charlotte Lawson, this quote holds a lot of power and I feel backs up my point. Teens are taught once they turn 18 they’re adults but don’t have the same abilities that other adults do. It’s unfair for others to pick and choose when someone is an adult and when they are not. I think there should be no legal age for activities such as getting married, voting, enlisting, among others, but instead it should be a test of knowledge on the subject and maturity level that determines their readiness, that way it is still a right but only for those who are able to prove they won’t abuse it.
When do you become an adult? Honestly, if we ask science, our brain doesn’t become fully mature until you are 25 years old. That’s an age way past the minimum age in our laws (unless you count running for President or be a member of Congress).
If we judge adulthood as acting mature, that varies from person to person. If we judge adulthood as the ability to be self-dependent, that could mean never for some people.
I agree with what Charlotte Lawson said, having the responsibility of adulthood should include some of the benefits of adulthood too. How are we determining the age of adulthood? Do we randomly pick a number like 18 that sounds good and say “ah, 18 seems like the perfect age to vote?”
The problem of teenage drunk driving pushed lawmakers to increase the drinking age, but that limit is set for the public eye. I think this prompted even more cases of underage drinking, just like you would get an urge to press the button that says “Do Not Press.”
There are some European countries that have legal drinking ages as young as 16 years old. This early (and legal) introduction has decreased the urge to underage drink on the pretense of being “cool” or “mature.”
1
@Francine Wei I think you make many good points when it comes to when you become an adult. There are many different factors that go into determining this. Science says not till 25 yet many kids at 16 take on more (adult like) responsiblities. So what is the perfect age? I dont think there really is a certain age that you become an adult. I think the age is different for everyone.
There is never truly a good way to tell when someone has become an adult. Even adults can be rather immature in how they live. If im going to be honest, most people won't ever know when they've become an adult until long after they've actually become one.
The Drinking laws you brought up are very interesting. It's the sort of reverse psychology that seems very counter intuitive but makes a lot of sense. Just because many people will do things they shouldn't just to look cool to others.
I do not believe I am an adult yet. I do think that a lot of responsibilities should be given at the same age as the drinking age, the right to vote, or the right to bear arms. I do not care whether the age is 18 or 21 but it should all happen at once. Even though this contradicts that statement, certain responsibilities like having a job should happen at a younger age so you can ease into some of the responsibilities and avoid being flooded all at the same age. I think it is the job of our government to sort something like this out if it was up to the people it is likely that everyone will be at each other's throats. I do not believe I am an adult yet. I do think that a lot of responsibilities should be given at the same age as the drinking age, the right to vote, or the right to bear arms. I do not care whether the age is 18 or 21 but it should all happen at once. Even though this contradicts that statement, certain responsibilities like having a job should happen at a younger age so you can ease into some of the responsibilities and avoid being flooded all at the same age. I think it is the job of our government to sort something like this out if it was up to the people it is likely that everyone will be at each other's throats. The voting age should remain at 18, there are many immature people I know who are not ready to have this right. I also think that you should have to be mentally well and have a basic understanding of what you are voting for.
The real world can be harsh and cut throat, we want to prepare our for it the best we can. We raise them well and hope that when the time comes they will make the right decision when they are an adult. Adults have to make hard decisions all the time, but along with those responsibilities comes the benefits of being old enough to make your own decisions.
An individual must be old enough for the benefits of adulthood, and also be able to handle the responsibilities as well too truly be old enough to be considered an “adult”. In America today, we are okay with sending our boys off to the military at age 18, but not okay with them consuming alcohol. We consider eighteen year olds to mature enough to handle the harsh and fatal reality of war, but not old enough to be under the influence. And recently, the age limit for buying tobacco has been raised to 21 as well. We have age restrictions to things like marriage, legal sex, and when we can bare arms to protect us from the harsh consequences that come along with these laws. But as a society we contradict ourselves when we expect 18 year olds to be able to handle war and voting, but we don’t trust them with pleasures such as alcohol and things that could arguably be rights.
I do not know what age a legal adult should be labeled, but I do think that the age in order to do “adult activities” should be the same for every action. On one hand, a scientific consensus believes “that most brains do not fully develop until {the} age 25”, yet by the age of 25, most American adults have had adult privileges for several years. The problem with changing the age of being an “adult” today is that no one is going to be happy. Teenagers can start working jobs early as the age of 15, and with that, pay taxes. By the age of 16, teenagers are able to drive. At the age of 18, teenage boys have to enlist their name into the government if needed for a draft and we are allowed (and strongly encouraged) to vote. However, we are not legally allowed to drink or purchase nicotine products until the age of 21. Why am I allowed to serve my country and not be able to drink? Our brains are not fully developed at any of these ages so why are these the ages to receive “adult privileges” and why are they different? I do think minimum age requirements are necessary to protect young people from adult risks and responsibilities, but again should be the same minimum age requirement for all adult risks and responsibilities. No, I do not want a 15 year old to be considered an adult, however, I also do not want an 18 year old to be able to have some adult responsibilities and be considered an “adult” by the government, yet not be able to have all legal adult privileges.
I think that becoming an adult, along with womanhood or manhood, depends on many things. Many people, like myself, are forced to grow up faster. I'm barely a teenager, but I've had to grow up a lot faster than many of my friends due to stress and problems in my life that only adults should have to deal with. I know that scientists say that the decision making part brain isn't developed fully until age 25, but I think that by the time you're 15 or so, you can make your own choices largely for yourself. You hear of people married when they're 20, and say that they're too young, but I think that if they've had a chance to get to know each other intimately and are absolutely sure of the choice that they're making, it is perfectly fine for them.
The legal minimum age for activities considered “for adults” should be determined based on the brain development process. According to scientific research, the human brain doesn’t reach full maturity until age 25. Although people under the age of 25 should be allowed to do some of what is now considered 18 and older activities, the stage of development of the brain should be taken into consideration. If the brain isn’t fully developed, the government should be aware that the decisions of people under the age of 25 may not be as completely thought out as those of age 25 or older. Activities such as buying alcohol or cigarettes should be truly thought over because of the greater harm that it could do to an underdeveloped brain. The side effects of these things could be much more damaging when the brain isn’t developed. However, people under the age of 25 still are capable of making their own thought-out decisions, so the age required to be tried as an adult and the age of legal marriage should most definitely be lower. So although certain adult privileges should be allowed before the age of 25, the official title of “adult” should be reserved for those who are fully mentally mature and developed.
I associate taxes, a stable job, college, and a place to live with adulthood. Legally you are now a adult you can go to actual prison nor just juvy. You also have to start paying bills so you will need a job and a place to live. If you're going to college that means moving out of your parents house and being in charge of yourself for 4 years. It's a lot of stuff and it's very confusing to a 16-year-old trying to figure out what he wants to do with his life.
There are many complexities in deciding the right age to formally allow someone to drink. The constitution has created two amendments concerning the usage of alcohol. The 18th amendment was established where alcohol could not impact the stability of a family- supported by many women. After an immense amount of citizens became criminals because of alcohol, the prohibition was repealed. The 21st amendment ratified the 18th amendment. The two amendments concerning alcohol, truly exemplifies how much our nation has difficulty in deciding what’s right for our society, but ultimately, the illegal age for drinking should still remain at age 21. Although as an 18 year old, there are many responsibilities to uphold such as Charlotte Lawson that is burdened with “responsibility of adulthood” and should therefore “afford privileges,” one still hasn’t fully matured yet. At the stage of an 18 year old, parents still play a vital role in providing help on how to do taxes or support financially. Most 18 year olds have the image that life should be revolved around college parties and drinking that has caused a vast amount of accidents by drinking and driving. Lowering the age of when a U.S citizen can consume alcohol will allow for more teenagers to drink and while teenagers -to this day- find loopholes to consume alcohol, a law is a law that some teenagers don't dare to cross which is why the age of 21 should continue to remain as the minimum legal age to imbibe alcohol.
I don’t consider myself an adult now because I don’t pay bills. I feel like you reach adulthood when you are financially supporting yourself. I know some people my age that pay their car note, insurance, phone bill and buy all their food. I would consider them an adult because they have reached the level of responsibility that is required to be one. Adulthood is connected to having specific responsibilities, not by age. Some 16-year-olds are doing better than some 30-year-olds. Anyone that is mature and knows how to handle themselves financially and behavior-wise, is an adult. Voting is a part of being an adult in my eyes. Every grown person should have some type of interest in politics and should care about who’s holding power in their community. Drinking is not a part of adulthood. I don’t see anything wrong with drinking for fun but I am very adamant about the fact that it should be regulated. Some people under the age of 21 can control their intake of liquor while some cannot. Some people over the age of 21 cannot either, but I think making the age 21 gives some immature abusers time to grow up before it is easily accessible to them. This correlates with the idea that being able to control your behavior helps classify you as an adult. Being able to control your behavior while drinking is a task that not all people can handle. It is especially difficult for people that haven’t finished maturing.
People joke about age just being a number. That when you turn a certain age, you are achieving a new milestone. The most anticipated ages I think are 10,16,18 and obviously 21. However I feel that at every age it brings good and bad. Of course when someone turns 18 you are legally an adult but I believe you can be an adult before that. It’s all about maturity and responsibility put into action in society. In my family, as my sister and I were learning to drive, our mom told us that when we get a job we have to start paying for our own gas. This is important to me because I feel like I am able to contribute to not only myself but my family. When I was growing up, I’d always wanted to be an adult and to have things like a car, credit card and a job. I would look up to my older sister and her friends as examples for what I wanted my life to be like as a teenager. I’m only 16 now and I can’t say that I feel like an adult. I enjoy still being a kid sometimes and not having to worry about “adult things” my parents do. Even when I turn 18, graduate high school and am legally an adult, I’m not sure that I will see myself on that pedestal of “adult life”. When I am an adult I want to look back on my teenage years and think that I lived them to the fullest before I grew up. I believe it is important to enjoy life when you are young before you are expected to grow out of some things when you age.
(part 1) I don’t believe I’m an adult at this point in my life. I am almost 16, which may sound old but in the grand scheme of things I am just barely starting my life. To me, an adult is someone who is able to teach the next generation of youth on their own, whether it’s through kids of their own or as a teacher, or a number of other ways. But, of course, when you start driving and working and drinking you will no longer be viewed as a child. You are constantly growing and learning and at some milestones you should be held to a higher expectation, but I don’t think there is a certain age that differentiates between child and adult. “If 18-year-olds are burdened with the responsibility of adulthood, they should be afforded some of its privileges,” said Charlotte Lawson, this quote holds a lot of power and I feel backs up my point. Teens are taught once they turn 18 they’re adults but don’t have the same abilities that other adults do. It’s unfair for others to pick and choose when someone is an adult and when they are not. I think there should be no legal age for activities such as getting married, voting, enlisting, among others, but instead it should be a test of knowledge on the subject and maturity level that determines their readiness, that way it is still a right but only for those who are able to prove they won’t abuse it.
I do not feel like an adult now and I do not believe I will for a good while. I do not think that being an adult should have a certain age limit when it comes to maturity, knowledge, responsibility, and common sense. But, when it comes to restrictions for drinking alcohol and driving I do agree that the age your brain develops should affect these limits. I think that it would be nice if the voting age went a year younger because I think that older teenagers should be able to play a part in today’s government. When it comes to young politicians, even though some say they need more experience I have always thought that since they are closer to the current generation, they might have a better understanding of younger’s voter’s perspectives on society and the government.
I feel there is no certain age when one becomes an adult, it’s subjective to the individual. When you have to start taking on the responsibilities of an adult, that’s when you start to become one. For instance at the age of sixteen I started paying rent to my mom to help out, and started taking on more adult responsibilities so perhaps that’s when I became an adult. It’s all up to when someone feels that they have gained perspective and matured, for most that usually happens between the ages of 18-25 which are the ages that American culture relates to adulthood.
(part 2) Along with that, you have to be aware that you don’t get to pick and choose when you want to be treated as an adult, especially based on your behavior. If you abuse the power you are handed, you shouldn’t be trusted to vote for the leader of our nation, drive alongside people who earned the trust or own a firearm. Ultimately, I think that in order to be an adult you not only should be old enough to own your own home, vote, and raise the next generation, but that you should earn the title and hold it with responsibility.
@Mackenzie Wernicke (part 1) I don’t believe I’m an adult at this point in my life. I am almost 16, which may sound old but in the grand scheme of things I am just barely starting my life. To me, an adult is someone who is able to teach the next generation of youth on their own, whether it’s through kids of their own or as a teacher, or a number of other ways. But, of course, when you start driving and working and drinking you will no longer be viewed as a child. You are constantly growing and learning and at some milestones you should be held to a higher expectation, but I don’t think there is a certain age that differentiates between child and adult. “If 18-year-olds are burdened with the responsibility of adulthood, they should be afforded some of its privileges,” said Charlotte Lawson, this quote holds a lot of power and I feel backs up my point. Teens are taught once they turn 18 they’re adults but don’t have the same abilities that other adults do. It’s unfair for others to pick and choose when someone is an adult and when they are not. I think there should be no legal age for activities such as getting married, voting, enlisting, among others, but instead it should be a test of knowledge on the subject and maturity level that determines their readiness, that way it is still a right but only for those who are able to prove they won’t abuse it.
I’ve heard many seniors, especially male seniors, make sarcastic remarks on how 18 year old can fight in a war but not enjoy beer. It’s a strange circumstance, that movies with more intense violent and sexual scenes are not permitted to children, whereas there have been many kid friendly shows that have shown smoking and drinking, and yet when it comes to the laws of this country, that is the opposite.
I’m taking driver’s ed right now and allegedly, the most dangerous drivers are around the ages of 16-24 because of inexperience. America is much more vehicle dependent than Europe, who usually travel as pedestrians or through public transportation. So the drinking laws make sense, I guess., Some of these other laws, are far from my mind ability to make clarity of.
It makes sense that 18 year old can volunteer for the army, after all one of the reasons many people volunteer is to pay for college. A forced draft on the other hand is questionable at best. Being sentenced to life in prison sounds extreme for an 18 year old. I suppose there are some cases where it’s agreeable, like repeated crimes or mass murder. As for strip clubs, I don’t believe sexual freedom is hazardous as long as there’s protection so I don’t see a problem with that.
I don't think that cellphones are comparable to guns in any case really. Cellphones aren't capable of killing someone on the spot. They can't cause much damage aside from maybe Cyber-Bullying. I don't see what point Rodgers was trying to make.
Part 2:
How do we determine that the ability to be tried on court as an adult, vote, and be drafted should be grouped up in the particular age of turning 18, while you must wait until you are 21 to have the ability to drink legally or purchase/use nicotine-based substances? How in some states are you allowed to get married before you can earn your driver's license? It’s difficult to determine the accurate age for people as a whole, where they can fully understand the risks of the privileges they can partake in, and the new responsibilities they have to account for. Age limits seem random, and in creating a more definite and universal age for when someone becomes an adult, it will create a greater sense of when someone becomes one.
I do not feel as though I am an adult now. Sure, I might have “adult” responsibilities such as a job or driving, but these do not make me considered an adult. I don’t pay the bills, I do not vote, and I can’t go on a plane without being labeled “unaccompanied minor.” I think I will be an adult once I am of legal age to live on my own, make decisions for myself and make a living for myself. Factors such as brain development and maturity 100% play a role in who is considered “an adult.” We say that there are kids you act like adults and adults who act childish. This represents that sometimes 18 cannot be a blanket age for everyone, because many have not fully matured in order to make good decisions.
I think that certain activities must have an age limit to ensure that they are not abused by those who aren’t mature enough to use them properly. Such things as voting, marriage, drug and alcohol consumption, and being charged for certain crimes are things that children should not be responsible for or involved in.
I think that the government’s policies on age limits are effective and don’t need to be changed. Although, the terms in which they set these standards should be backed by reason and science. Adulting is something that not everyone can do successfully without a significant amount of maturity or brain development.
@Sophia Caparelli I agree that becoming an adult isn't really a set age and that it depends a lot on the person. Like you said, I think I will consider myself an adult when I'm living on my own and making my own income. I see myself living on my own while my parents still give me a little bit of financial assistance, but I don't think that I will think of myself as an adult until I'm fully providing for myself.
As you are growing up, you are always told that you will finally be an adult when you turn eighteen; you are allowed to vote, can be charged with a life-sentence in prison, can drive, and work a full-time job among other privileges. Though, if basing this argument solely on when you have achieved the right to enjoy all the privileges of life, as offered by the law, you will not become an adult until you are twenty-one years old. To me, that is absurd; I am seventeen years old, and although I am technically still a child, I do not feel like one. I associate with my college friends, some of which are twenty-one, and can relate and talk to them, without feeling younger than them. I am at an age where it feels as if I am confined in a bubble; there are a number of activities that I am not allowed to enjoy or participate in simply because of my age, and not because of my maturity or how I feel. My teachers, parents, and any adult figure in general, talk to me, usually, as less than an equal. They have authority over many things in my life, and often when talking to them I get the vibe that they don't treat my opinions with the same respect they would someone of their same age. And, while I concede that in many scenarios like that of a teacher to student, the teacher has authority over their students, it still doesn't feel good when you are treated as a child, when you truly feel like an adult.
I'm honestly not sure if there is a specific age when you become an adult. I personally believe that once you are mature enough to face certain things in life and prepared enough to deal with them, then you are an adult.
I used to attend a private school that went all the way up to 12th grade. Some of the students from that school applied to colleges that were close to home, even though they could've gotten into any school they wanted to, just because they weren't prepared enough to go off on their own. And some of these students ended up dropping out of school and coming home because they couldn't deal with the stress of being in college. But other students from that school ended up going to college halfway across the country - sometimes halfway across the world - and they did just fine.
I believe that our generation, Gen-Z, and the generation before ours, the Millennials, become "adults" at a later age than our parents and grandparents did, just because of how we were raised. There is nothing wrong with how we were raised, I am not trying to say that. Times have changed since our parents were in high school. But studies have shown that our generation and the generation before always seek instant gratification for even the smallest of actions, and when they don't get their way, they can barely handle themselves. That isn't everyone, but it is a large majority.
1
I think that the legal age is good where it's at. I believe that once you're 18 and you're old enough to make the decision of putting your life on the line for this country you become a legal adult. However I think that the age in which different people actually become mature enough to be an adult varies a lot. I think there are kids who are very mature at 14 years old and there are kids who still aren't mature at 20. I think the minimum age should stay where it's at because I think it basically caters to the masses. I also think that a lot of kids under 18 don't really understand how life works. They just go through the motions while their parents provide for them.
The simple answer: legally you become an adult at 18. The complicated answer: it's different for everyone. I used to think that adulthood came when you were in your 30’s and paid taxes. You should have a job, kids, a spouse; a picture perfect life. In reality, it comes at many ages and with many different definitions. Adulthood in my own definition is a sense of fulfillment within your life, a time where you learn to appreciate life as it is given to you and where you are able to look back on the memories of your life and are able to value the lessons you’ve learned. The reason why I consider this to be adulthood, is because once you do reach adulthood, you should be mature and should have been able to learn at least enough about life to be able to pass onto others. Although it may seem as though I am describing someone well into their 50’s, I think that this level of maturity can be reached at any age. In my own life, I have always been taught by my parents to take responsibility and be mature, despite the fact that I am only 16, I do think that if I were given the opportunity to show my maturity, it might be at the same level as many of the legal adults. There is also something to be said about at what age you experience the most. Some people have experienced more in their adolescence than some will in their entire lives, so they have reached a level of understanding that many might not be able to obtain.
@Olivia Moore. That is a beautiful definition of adulthood. I've always considered adulthood to be when you are capable of carrying out life on your own, but I think I'm going to adopt your definition now if that's alright. Maturity is something that comes to everyone at a different age, and you're right in saying that the easy answer is 18. We often think that we can standardize people, but that’s a huge mistake. My mom has often joked that my peer group are the people in nursing homes, simply because we would never grow short of things to talk about. Even if we do feel mature enough to take on the world, I think we still need to recognize our youth. Besides, even if we feel that we can handle adult privileges, so to speak, that doesn’t mean everyone will, and we need to be able to accept that adulthood isn’t defined by what laws allow us or don’t allow us to do, but what we choose to do with what we can. Since it is impossible to entirely judge a person’s maturity level, these laws have to be standardized.
I live at home with my parents. I don’t provide for myself. I go to school and am fortunate enough to come home to a loving family. Therefore, I feel like I am a child, or at least in most situations. Drinking and voting are important, but what really matters to me is when I have to “fend for myself” most of the time. The scientific consensus may say that you think like an adult once you reach the age of 25, but being an adult is relative for everyone.
I would consider a sixteen year old peer an adult if he or she was a main provider of income in the family or in certain situations if they interacted like an adult. If I have an intellectual conversation with someone and connect with them, I feel like I am talking to an adult. In that situation, that person is an adult. I even feel that if I am in a situation talking with adults and holding conversations with them in a mature fashion, I feel as though I am an adult. I don’t care about being able to “run for office, go to strip clubs, be sentenced to life in prison, and volunteer to go to war or be drafted” when it comes to whether I am an adult or not. I care about how I feel in a certain situation.
@Mason Evans You made some great points in this comment! I agree with you when you say that our maturity is more detrimental to becoming an adult than how society will treat us. Many people think "Once, I'm 18, I can vote. I can enlist in the military, and I can buy cigarettes. That's when I'm an adult." The actuality of it is that there is so much more to being an adult than societal standards. You must be able to provide for yourself, and practice responsibility for your own betterment. You need to have the maturity to interact with other adults, and be principled enough to bring yourself to success in life. There is so much more to being an adult than turning 18.
Part 1:
To me, adulthood can’t be defined as an exact age where you miraculously become ten times more mature than you were the day prior, and now can wield all the responsibilities that life is now allowed to throw at you, along with your fellow adult counterparts who may be 30 years older than you. An 18 year-old could possess the same maturity levels as a 28 year old, and a 16 year-old could possess the same maturity level as an 18 year old. There’s no doubt that age increases with maturity, and how as we age we learn and uptake new things which are responsible for how we act, react, and handle certain things. The passage to Adulthood is mentally a cumulative process, with there being different rates of how a person mentally matures. The problem with state and federal laws, it tries to determine an exact point where a person can handle the responsibility of a fully mature adult, and oftentimes these points are only circumstantial.
You become an adult when you are mature enough and independent enough to not rely on your parents for daily life. You are financially independent, live on your own, take responsibility for your own actions, and can get yourself out of trouble. You are independent. In the eyes of the law, you are an adult at 18 but are not free until 21. You can get a provisional license at 16, enter the armed forces at 17, sign your own signed documents at 18, and finally at 21 you can indulge into alcohol and tobacco. They say that you are an adult at 18 but it's a rogue to make you think you are free. You are a true adult, free to make all the poor choices you want at 21; at least on paper. In practice you are free when you start to live your own life. You are an adult when you start acting like one. There are 21 year old adults and there are 70 year old children.
While we may have jobs and responsibilities that resemble those of adults, as teenagers we are not adults. We may have the maturity of adults, but in no way are we adults. We are often still relying on our parents to get everything we need. Even if we have a job and a way to pay for our car, insurance, clothes, phone etc., we are still living under our parent’s roof, so we are not fully independent and on our own. There is no official way to know whether we have reached adulthood or not. With the current legal rights that are put in place, just because you are 21, the legal drinking age, does not mean that you are an adult. Being 18 and being able to buy cigarettes does not make you an adult. Being able to responsibly drink or buy tobacco. Just because you are legally able to purchase such goods does not make you an adult. Adulthood is not just a number, it is responsibility and maturity, etc.
1
People generally consider someone 18 years old and older an "adult", so the question then becomes "why aren't adults allowed to drink?". The difference between setting ages to be legally allowed to smoke and drink vs vote is the associated risk of each activity. Voting isn't exactly risky, but smoking and drinking can ruin your life quickly if bad habits are developed. Sure you become an adult at 18, but does that mean we want 18 year olds being legally allowed to permanently destroy their life with addiction. Having the age to be able to drink and smoke slightly higher than when you legally become an adult allows a slower transition to adulthood. Instead of having every new privilege being thrown at you, some new privileges are able to be explored first and the higher risk ones come slightly later. Once accustomed to adulthood and the responsibilities that come with it, I would assume one is more likely to make better decisions with alcohol and cigarettes than they would have straight out of high school with no experience of being independent of parental authority. These laws in place that allow the slow transition to adulthood are crucial in not overwhelming young adults and although these laws are sometimes ignored by young adults, changing the legal drinking age to 18 would send a message that drinking at 18 is perfectly acceptable to young adult victims that would have otherwise been deterred by the law...
... Let’s let our young adults foster good habits at the start of their adulthood so that they are more responsible and make better decisions later in life.
Adulthood. Something every kid wishes to reach and every adult seems to hate. Regardless if you want to or not, everyone will eventually become an adult. It’s a transition that is unavoidable, but when exactly we face that switch from child to adult is largely unknown. Society has jumped around this question, often associating a certain age with becoming an adult. At 18, I can vote for a president, or be shipped off to fight in a pointless war, but at home I’m still not old enough to buy alcohol. I am given certain responsibilities when I turn a certain age, and I see that as our way of recognizing whether or not you are an adult. It’s not necessary the way you behave that matters, but rather an arbitrary number that determines when you have passed that magical threshold into adulthood.
It’s obviously a difficult challenge to determine when people become adults, and it will be different for every person. I think the biggest determination for reaching adulthood is self-reliance. I still rely heavily on my parents on a daily basis and without them, I would have no place to sleep and food on my table. I depend on my parents to live, and until I don’t, I won’t truly consider myself to be an adult, even if my age might say otherwise.
Not being an adult yet is something I have come to accept. When I was younger I couldn’t wait to become an adult, with all that freedom. Now, I see that freedom comes at a cost: responsibilities. Right now I will stick to being a teenager.
I don’t think that there is a certain age in which we become an adult but it’s more about your maturity and the situations that your put in, that force you to grow up. The government sees you as an adult when your eighteen but at that age you’re still in high school and still living in your parents house. Adults live on there own or have pay for themselves or have other living things to take care of or worry about. This can happen to people at all different ages. The most common age is the start of college when they’re moved out of their parents house, having to pay for themselves and be self sufficient.
I believe there isn’t really a set age for adulthood, I think it’s more based off your maturity. When you turn 18, you’re still living with your parents under their rules. If there were to be an age I would say 22 because that’s when most people graduate from their first four years of college. When you’re 22 you’re mature and should know how to manage your life
@Nolan Hart I get where you are coming from and partly agree with you. Than again we can't forget about those people who don't attend college. Also those who are 18 and live alone paycheck to paycheck. When do they become an adult? What i am trying to say is that yes maturity is without a doubt a big part of adulthood but just because i finished college at 22 does not make me an adult. There are people the age of of 30 still living with their parents who aren't independent and finished college.
I believe there is no age for being an adult, I think it's more based on maturity. Maturity is the true meaning of being an adult and reasoning. If a person isn't mature no one would believe in or take seriously a person who isn't liable and or mature to make the important and impactive decisions.
I don't feel like I'm an adult now, because I think the definition of an adult is one who makes and must act upon decisions concerning themselves and others, also an adult must provide for themselves and their family if they have one. I think being an adult isn't necessarily based on age, it can be, but for the most part it's about decision making and responsibilities along with maturity. Being able to drink, and vote doesn't reflect on whether you're an adult, but rather on just your age. I do believe though that once you're eighteen you should be able to decipher right from wrong and understand that you have more rights along with more consequences if you break the rules. I think eighteen is a good age to legally get more rights and be proclaimed an adult. The government should enforce age requirements, and it should solely be based on maturity.The reason people are incredulous towards younger people being in control such as Benming Zhang is because they fear he won't completely understand his responsibilities along with inexperience, which will cause him to maybe not be as capable of the job. Although that doesn't mean he won't be good at the job. But besides that I think the only qualifications you need to become a politician, are that you're a citizen, along with a high school diploma and some sort of interest within the political work field, and have the best interest of the people. If the voting age was lower, voters may not understand what is best for the nation.
Becoming an adult. Something that over the past few years as I’ve grown and entered into my mid-teens, has weighed heavily on my mind. Sometimes at certain points in my life I feel increasing overwhelmed with the idea that soon enough, I’ll be (hopefully) off at college, about to start a career, and really step into adulthood. But when do I enter that threshold of being an adult? Where does my childhood come to an end and make a transition? Or does it just slowly transfer over until I can’t distinguish the difference between when I was a child and when I am an adult? These are all questions that I have, but questions that I know only I can provide the answers to.
I think becoming an adult is more complex than a certain age you reach, or what you have the capability of doing when you reach that age. I think it’s a blend of many various factors, ones that kids can’t even accurately put together until they experience it for themselves. Being 18 doesn’t make you an adult. It’s the journey that it takes to get to that age, and the journey you will have to take to keep going that is the sole determining factor.
I’ve always felt that something would come over me when I turn 18. That suddenly, I’ll feel free and accomplished and ready to take on anything the world throws my way. But being an adult, is far more complicated than being an 18 year old. Growing into adulthood takes time. It takes experience. It takes patience. And most importantly, it takes a strong amount of maturity.
@Sadie Dunne I agree that it's basically impossible to pinpoint exactly when someone becomes an adult. It's not like one day you're seventeen years and 364 days old (still just a teen), and the next you're eighteen years old and fully grown; it's a process, a development of maturity, a growing understanding of experiences. However, I can see where it is important for the government to have a specific time they consider to be the start of adulthood. Children should not be allowed to drink or smoke, so laws must be made to prevent this from happening. That said, I would say we should probably stick to what scientific studies say about brain development. In the article, they mentioned that the scientific consensus is that age 25 is when the brain is fully formed. While I may think I (or my friend, my child, my peer, whoever) is mature enough to handle the burdens and privileges of being an adult, someone else exactly the same age may not be, and a line must be drawn somewhere.
I do not feel like an adult nor do I want to be one yet. I don’t feel like I have enough knowledge about the world to be able to survive in it. I don’t think I will ever truly know when I will be an adult. I know that I’ll be 18 one day but that doesn’t guarantee I will feel like an adult. I believe that went a person truly becomes an adult they don’t know they have. I think it happens over a long period of time. I’m sure voting and doing my taxes will help me feel like an adult but I don’t think it will help me become one. I think that you can’t just have one set age that applies to drinking while also applying to legal age to try someone as an adult in court. These should differ. I also feel like younger people should be able to make those kind of decisions for ourselves. I think that if one of my friends was going to run for office and they showed me they were capable and willing, I wouldn’t be opposed.
I think that you become an adult when you start acting like one. However, this would not work in a legal sense so this is what I think should be true: as it is in the US, you should be able to drive when you are 16 as you gain more responsibility, this would also give you a few years to learn how to drive without I think that you become an adult when you start acting like one. If you start to take on more responsibility you should also get privileges. However, this would not work in a legal sense so this is what I think should be true: as it is in the US, you should be able to drive when you are 16 as you gain more responsibility, this would also give you a few years to learn how to drive without alcohol in the mix. This is what I think should change, you should be able to become a fully legal adult at 18, this is because in the US you are able to be drafted, vote, etc. If you are given the responsibilities of an adult you should also get to have the privileges.
Headline: Adults in society
Society is constantly arguing about the protection of kids or the proper age to be able to do certain things. At this time in my life I still feel as if I am young and have much to learn so I do not necessarily count myself as an adult. I do believe that doing certain things like drinking, smoking or handling guns should be kept away from kids but at the same time pressing laws for certain age requirements wont stop them.
@Madalynn Larson Smoking and drinking is not what makes you an adult, what makes you an adult is the ability to take care of yourself even when you hit rock bottom in your life. It's the ability to not have to rely on others to do everything for you. My parents always told me that when i turn 18 i would be an adult and be able to start making my own decisions. In my opinion i think that by the time i move out and start doing things on my own is when ill be an adult. Minimum age requirement should always be set just so people know when its safe to do so. Yet that's not gonna stop people from doing what they want. One way or another they are gonna get their hands on something that could hurt them. Things like marriage and enlisting into the military should absolutely have age requirements just because every kid thinks they're in love with their first crush or they think being a hero could be the coolest thing ever. When in reality they are just starting to grow up. I think the way those decisions are made should just be based on what it is. Maturity should definitely be a part of all of it because you don't want someone irresponsible to be handling these things.
@Madalynn Larson Personally I'm not a big political person. I believe it just causes problems between people. If one of my friends were to run for office i would not truly believe it just because we are so young with so much to learn. In Benming Zhang's situation he had gone through the schooling and knew what he was doing. I'm sure the only reason why he received skepticism was because they have different views on age requirements and whatnot. I believe the voting age is fine as it is, I don't think i will become more politically active as i am now but at the same time you never know.
@Madalynn Larson Part 2
Smoking and drinking is not what makes you an adult, what makes you an adult is the ability to take care of yourself even when you hit rock bottom in your life. It's the ability to not have to rely on others to do everything for you. My parents always told me that when i turn 18 i would be an adult and be able to start making my own decisions. In my opinion i think that by the time i move out and start doing things on my own is when ill be an adult. Minimum age requirement should always be set just so people know when its safe to do so. Yet that's not gonna stop people from doing what they want. One way or another they are gonna get their hands on something that could hurt them. Things like marriage and enlisting into the military should absolutely have age requirements just because every kid thinks they're in love with their first crush or they think being a hero could be the coolest thing ever. When in reality they are just starting to grow up. I think the way those decisions are made should just be based on what it is. Maturity should definitely be a part of all of it because you don't want someone irresponsible to be handling these things.
Headline: Adults in society
Society is constantly arguing about the protection of kids or the proper age to be able to do certain things. At this time in my life I still feel as if I am young and have much to learn so I do not necessarily count myself as an adult. I do believe that doing certain things like drinking, smoking or handling guns should be kept away from kids but at the same time pressing laws for certain age requirements wont stop them.
I think that you become an adult when you are legally allowed to vote. Therefore you become an adult at 18 years old. I think that the legal limit for getting married is 22 so you can get married when you are out of college and you can start to support a family because what ends up happening is that two people end up not liking each other then they divorce. I think that you should be able to vote at 18. I think that you can enlist in the army when you are out of high school so that you have a good amount of training also you can drop out and go to college if you want to. I think that it is dumb that you can vote on a leader in sociaty but you can’t drink. I dislike how the u.s. Is not allowing people to purchase alcohol. But we are the only country that has this problem of constant dui’s. I think if we lower the drinking age and teach people how to drink responsibly from a young age then we don;t have the problem of people drinking too much when the law says that they can. I think that you should not be allowed to purchase cigarettes at all because they have no good side and end up killing you. I don;t know how old you have to be to own a firearm but I know that we have the right to bair arms which means that it is legal so I think that it should be 18. I think that you should be 18 to be tried in court. Those are my thoughts on the legal ages for these things.
In my opinion, I believe that the legal age to partake in activities associated with adults should be somewhere close to 25. I feel this way as studies show your brain isn't fully developed till that age and could cause a lack of judgment. This lac would become imminently noticeable when making decisions like getting married or buying (and using) drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes. Setting this specific age bar will assure the full safety of young adults and limit risk-taking. Along with this, I feel that proper educational strands need to be taken to inform our future children what bad choices they could be making (as most of these scenarios are a result of a lack of awareness).
I do not think that there is a specific age when someone becomes an adult. Becoming an adult is not something that happens overnight either. It takes time. I do not think that when a child wakes up on their 18th birthday that they are yet an adult. Being an adult is based off wisdom and experience and everyone becomes one at a different age.
@Emma I agree with your comment. It isn't something that happens overnight. Therefore, you can't just become an adult when you turn 18. It doesn't work like that.
I believe that becoming an adult doesn’t just happen overnight—a there’s no definitive day or age that a person is suddenly mature enough to handle big responsibilities and make drastic life altering decisions. Becoming an adult takes time, and is a process that happens throughout several years. Also, I think that it’s important to start treating teenagers like adults rather than kids. How can we expect an 18 year old to suddenly turn into an adult if they have been treated like a child up until their 18th birthday? Adulthood is unique to each individual, some are ready to take on the task of being an adult earlier, and some aren’t. It just depends on individual.
@Dina Dronjak I agree with your comment. I think that adulthood is not a definitive age, but instead a large journey to reach that requires perseverance, handling hardships, and maturity. I believe that when teenagers have a reached a point in their lives when they find themselves handling situations independently without requiring incessant assistance and guidance from their guardians, they have reached adulthood. There is no specific way to measure this change; instead, the teenager must feel within that they are capable of handling new journeys and opportunities on their own.
I don’t think there is a specific age when someone becomes an adult. I believe a person becomes an adult when they begin to mature and have their own responsibilities and are able to take care of themselves. It all depends on maturity and how you act.
@Jalen Moore I agree, I do think that one should "technically" be considered an adult at the age of 18 but I also think that everyone will become an adult at different ages and some people may never become an adult.
childhood. While in college, most people tend to move out of their parents house and into a dorm or an apartment. They take on new responsibilities such as paying rent or tuition, going grocery shopping, and building more serious relationships, all without the supervision of their parents. In some cases, this is also when many enlist to join the army or study abroad in order to widen their scope of their worldly knowledge. To me, this transition into a whole new lifestyle marks the beginning of a different era for a person, an era of adulthood. Sure, there are some people who would still rely on their parents for help, but instead of parents being the first line of defense against a problem, they become more of a safety net. Instead of deciding for their child, parents take on the role of advisors.
For me, adulthood is when one fully develops a person, so I believe that you aren’t really an adult until you’re about 25. Before 25 I think that the government should slowly allow people more privileges as they age to ease them into adulthood. I believe at 16 people should be able to work and drive so they make a living. At 18, one should be able to join the military, as the military is a very helpful institution that can provide free education and better healthcare allowing lower class people the opportunity to do big things. At 21, drinking, it was established in the 1980s because many kids 18-21 were dying from drunk driving and the rule has been effective ever since. Finally at 25, one should be able to vote and tried as an adult. I believe a person should have lots of experience in their life before making being able to decide the country’s leaders. People gain lots of education as experience through work, military experience, or college and this education, finding out how the world really works, should be an important qualification for voting. Despite this, I would encourage teenagers to be involved in politics because at this age you’re more impressionable and able to find what you believe in as a person
I think that the journey of adulthood is unique to each individual. While there are constraints put on citizens of their country regarding their age, adulting, in my opinion, is more than that. Example of these constraints are: driving, voting, purchasing guns and drugs, drinking alcohol, and even becoming president. Each of these come with different responsibilities and as ages they understand these responsibilities. Adulting is such that it teaches you about life is every aspect, socially, politically, physically, mentally... As one grows older they are constantly learning about how they can do the best for themselves in their lives. Not only that, but as they grow older It also becomes legal for them to do all these activities. Slowly over the desired year more is added to our responsibilities to help us balance all our needs for a successful life.
@Amina Malik I agree i believe every person is different and some might know more than others so that changes the aspect of things
When we were kids, we were asked if we feel older on our birthday. And we would (almost) always respond with “No, of course not!”, as we dug into our presents and cake. And of course you don’t actually feel any older! Growth happens so subtly and over time. So why does this change when we turn 18? You still have to ask permission to use the bathroom at school, but suddenly you can vote, enlist, get married and be held to the same legal standards as who is someone 40 years older. Also, you can’t drink or smoke until you’re 21 or rent a car until 25. Maturity is a very broad term, which includes responsibility, decision making and political education. I have friends who are high school aged (14-17) who are politically involved in my community with organizations such as March for our Lives and the Sunrise movement. They are very politically educated about causes that they are passionate about and spend time at rallies, meetings and speaking to political officials, such as senators, about their cause. These students are as politically educated, or more, than adults. The voting age is a very tricky subject and it is impossible to make a perfect law for the age requirement. Every person is different and matures at a different pace, so I believe psychology and neuroscience studies should be considered when creating laws, as well as using patterns found in history. Although, no matter how it is done, some things will work out well, but some parts of the system will always be flawed.
1
In my opinion, it really just depends on the person. I don’t really think that a number determines when or if you’re an adult, for example you could be 16 or 17 years old but still think and have the mentality of an adult. Sometimes certain people go through different things in life that grow them up quicker than others, or maybe they are just simply more mature by nature. But I don’t believe that it is only a number that considers you to be an adult.
Everyone is different so they will mature differently, we all have our own way of growing up and becoming our own independent person.
PART 1
Becoming an adult. These words come with so many exciting and scary emotions. I remember as a child using these words to describe my first kiss, first job, and so much more. “When I become an adult I want to have a boyfriend.” My opinion on being an adult has changed a little over the years. Being an adult has absolutely nothing to do with age. “Being legal” means nothing more than those words. Kids are having to grow up at younger and younger ages, but there are also the kids that will stay kids. Having a job at a young age and getting to be around a variety of people has taught me this. Seeing a 19 year old who lives on his own, has a full time job, and has gone through more than most do in a lifetime, then the complete opposite at home. A 19 year old college lacrosse player who still laughs at “your mom” jokes with no worries in the world but getting up to go to his 8 ams. Same age, one an adult one a child.
I think that being a certain age doesn’t necessarily make you an adult. I think that you are an adult when you are able to make life choices for yourself. Responsibilities make you an adult, not a specific age you reach. I think that minimum age requirements are useful to protect younger people from some adult risks. Maturity is the best way to determine what the minimum age restrictions should be. If I had to pick a certain age to be considered an adult, I would say 21 but, I do not think that the minimum voting age should be older than 18.
1
I do not believe that at a specific age you become an adult. I think being grown up is more of a feeling than a specific age. Some people grow up early due to their home life meanwhile, others stay child like their entire lives. It really depends on your mental state rather than your age. Although I do believe having age limits on things like voting is important because as a child you may not have access to political outlets in order to be informed before you vote. Overall I would say that age is a mental state not a number.
PART 2
The article talks about voting and smoking, but these things still don't define when someone is an adult. When talking about when these actions should be legal, age is the only thing you can take into account. No one knows at what age each individual matures. I believe all these actions should be aloud at 18 because that is when they are “legal” and if they can go into the military at 18 they should be able to purchase tobacco. I don't agree with the use, but raising the age wont stop people. Although I agree with her statement in some ways Charlotte Lawson could have used better words. When she says that 18 year olds are “burdened with adulthood” this is completely wrong for some. Yes, they can go into the military and get drafted but being 18 doesn't make you an adult. Most are still in school and living with their parents when they are not. This doesn't sound like such a “burden” to me.
1
In my opinion there is no specific age that a person becomes an adult. In our world we have a lot of ages that are qualifies as being an adult. Some think 21, some think 18, some think 15. What really matters is how old are you mentally, someone can be 21 and has the maturity of 15 year old or vice versa. Another thing to consider is that is people actually think that people become adults at 21 then why is the legal military age 16. you can littleay so in the military and die but not be a mature adult according to the law.
I don’t think that when you hit eighteen that you’re really an adult, no matter how those around us see it as. Our brains aren’t fully developed, some of us are still in high school, and a lot of us are still under our parent’s roofs. I feel as if the requirements for some of these things are necessary, and some aren’t. Smoking, drinking, and owning a firearm should be at twenty-one. This keeps people from harming themselves or those around them as much. Getting married and enlisting in the military should be kept at eighteen. If you can go to university, you should be able to enlist in the military and make the choice if you want to get married or not. For voting, however, I think the requirements should be lowered to sixteen or seventeen, this is because, who is in office affects the young people the most.
In my opinion, becoming an adult is when you turn 18. Now, being an adult doesn’t necessarily mean you are automatically mature enough to understand right from wrong. Growing up in life, people
face difficulties in which , most of the times, they do the wrong things. But, regarding responsibility I’ve known a handful of individuals that took on the role as an adult even though they weren’t of age yet. So basically, turning 18 considers you an adult but, that doesn’t mean you can’t feel like one already when you take on hardships. Adulthood doesn’t always mean you take on hard responsibilities, it just depends on who the person is.
I believe that everyone, at their own stage becomes an adult. While some may argue that 18 is an efficient age to name someone as an official adult, the reality is, 18 is still too young, we are still making mistakes and learning from them as we go, not to mention everyone evolves to maturity at different stages,and they are still teenagers. The proper age to become an adult should, at the least, be in their 20’s. Even the legal drinking age is 21! If people cannot be responsible enough to consume alcohol responsibly at 18, then they supposedly shouldn’t be responsible to vote or even be able to live on their own as soon as they turn 18. The years that we need guidance the most is the transition from childhood to adulthood. So why not raise that age?
I think that once a person turns 18, they should be considered an adult. People who are 18 are going off to college and living on their own for the first time. They’re able to vote and join the army, but many don’t consider them to be adults. Once somebody turns 18 they’re usually mature and responsible, so I think that people who turn 18 should immediately have the same opportunities as someone who is older.
Being a sixteen year old, I can personally understand wanting to be considered an adult. However, I don’t think I’m anywhere ready, and I don’t think that things like being able to vote and drink automatically make a person an adult. I don’t think age makes someone an adult, I think their level of maturity is what does it. I don’t think the ability to vote and drink is an expression of maturity but the decisions you make when you are doing those things that gives you a sense of adulthood. I don’t think there is a certain age for someone to truly be an adult, I think it’s the persons choice to decide when they want to start acting like one.
In my opinion anyone can be an adult, because to be an adult is to possess the ability to make adult decisions. And adult decision to me is realizing that your actions don’t only apply to you, or to put others needs before your own when necessary. This means that an adult can be a 9 year old child that supports their family in times of need, or a 29 year old parent who is devoted to putting their best effort into raising a child.
I believe there needs to be one nationwide age requirement for all “adult” activities such as voting, drinking alcohol, and enrolling in the military. Even thought a person’s brain is not fully developed till their mid 20’s, in the real world most people consider someone to be an adult at the age of 18. If someone has the ability to live on their own, make decisions for themselves, and even train with the military at the age of 18, I believe this age should signify to everyone that they are officially an adult. The fact that at 18 years old you can purchase a firearm, vote for elections, and get married but also cannot have the right to drink alcohol until 3 years later just seems a bit off to me.
I believe that the age in which you become an adult is when you turn 18. You’re graduating highschool, some going off to college, some working full time, etc. It is at this point when you are kickstarting the rest of your life, and in order to do this you need to be able to make your own decisions, provide for yourself, but also reap the benefits of being an adult. Ages to buy alcohol or tobacco products should follow the same age as being able to go into the military, or sent to prison.
Adulthood is not achieved by hitting the age 18 or 21. Adulthood holds much more meaning of who you are and how you are in current world. Just by turning 18 it does not make you wiser or more mature, you could be the exact same person before your “adulthood”. I believe adulthood is achieved through important events that left a lasting impression on yourself, the lingering thoughts that make you question many things. In order for us to reach “adulthood” we would need to adapt to new life experiences like getting your first real job, buying your first house, filling tax papers, even possibly getting fired from your job, these are important and often linger within thoughts of many and allow you to reflect on yourself. Although when you reach the age of 18 or 21 you are opened to new things that were once considered illegal, but have you really experienced adulthood?
As a student in Highschool, at 17 years old, I believe that the age at which one becomes an adult is 21, and maybe even older. 18 is definitely too young, as the person is most likely still in Highschool and most kids haven’t fully matured by that age, and still goof around to much. I say somewhere between 21 and 24 is the age at which one becomes an adult because, they have graduated through most if not all the years of schooling, and have matured greatly. Also according to law, they have most of the rights any older person will get.
For me, there is no definitive age in which someone becomes an adult. No external milestone dignifies that you’ve reached adulthood (turning 18, going to college). Rather, internal milestones (maturity, independence, motivation) are better determiners that you have reached ”adulthood”. In my belief, a 14 year old can be more of an adult than a 25 year old. It all depends on where you are in you own personal growth. I don’t believe that this theory should be applied in a legal sense (14 year olds buying alcohol), because there is really no practical way to see where someone is on there personal growth timeline.
I completely agree with this. Age is mental maturation not physical.
Although 18 years of age is a marking of adulthood legally, I do not agree that it constitutes an individual as a true adult, a word that has underlying connotations of maturity and responsibility. However, an issue arises when a minimum age is required for an activity as there is no exact way to measure these true factors: intelligence is not necessarily quantifiable and neither is maturity, and they do not necessarily correlate. Academic intelligence does not necessarily suggest a guarantee that an ethical choice will be made. Full brain development is variable among individuals even at 25 years of age. Therefore, as there is no fixed way to create I believe that the age restrictions already established are adequate.
For me, there is no set age limit to when a person becomes an adult. It is typically generalized that once a person is 18 they become an adult. These people get now vote, purchase products they have never legally been able to purchase, and most have graduated high school and pursuing a career in college. However, I believe that you need to have enough maturity in order to classify a person as an adult. This includes having independence, living alone, and paying your own bills. Although once you reach the age of 18 you obtain many benefits legally, adulthood boils down to if one is mature enough to be independent.
The big one-eight! On nearly every Instagram post or story for someone’s eighteenth birthday, a friend will make the statement, “You’re an adult now!” However, is this really true? Does turning a magic number mark the difference between childhood and adulthood, a sort of stepping stone into a different life? I would argue that rather than 18 being the defining mark of adulthood, I believe one becomes a “grown up” when they do “grown up” things, the biggest of which is living independently. Even though, as a teenager, it seems like you have a lot of independence, there is an unmatched feeling of knowing not only do you have to get your own food, stay alone, and also do taxes (spooky!), but also the idea that if something happens, you can’t simply run back to your mom or dad or older sibling, but must make smart decisions alone. Almost like a push into the deep end, living independently from your family and old friends forces a person to mature faster than they ever have in the past. This, rather than the magic 18, is the true mark of adulthood.
@Lauren I agree, one doesn’t magically become an adult at 18 but we need a line somewhere. You can’t be a child forever and no matter what line you draw it’s going to be arbitrary. Still, if you’re graduating high school and moving on to the next phase of your life it would just seem natural to confer most adult rights and privileges at that age. It wouldn’t make sense to move out at 18 but not be able to enter into contracts, vote, or join the military. So 18 is just a compromise for most of the US and most countries even if they aren’t truly adults yet.
As much as I want to say “I’m a junior in high school I must be considered an adult” that just isn’t entirely true. I believe that have adult like characteristics, and maybe, just maybe I I’m as mature as an adult, there are still many things I have not learned or better yet taught. In my opinion you are not an adult until you are 21 years old, because certain things just take that much time to learn.
I don't think adulthood happens at a certain age, I think it happens when you feel mature enough to be on your own and make the right choices without being told to do so by an adult. When you're 18, you most likely still live with your parents, and if you're in college they're paying your tuition and sending you money for food and other necessities, so you're still not completely on your own. This is why I think the age for the draft should be higher because when you’re 18 you’re still a child, although I do think the voting age being 18 is a good decision because I think kids know enough about politics by that age to be able to vote and let their opinion be heard.
If I had to pick an age for when you become an adult I would say 21, because you’re out of college, probably getting your first real job, earning your own money, and living on your own. That to me means “adult” though some people might disagree and say it’s older or younger than that. Psychologically, your body stops developing at 18, and your brain stops developing at 25, so anyone between those ages could be considered “mature” enough to be an adult.
@Victoria Fey
Hi Tori! I like your opinion on this. I don't believe that age truly depends if you're and adult or not; sure, it plays a factor in it, but it's not the deciding factor.
I believe that the definition of being an adult is when you take your life into your own hands, when you are able to make good decisions for yourself. Although I believe that 18 is a good age to legally be an adult, it's not the age where your mentally an adult. Yes, it's a good age to vote, and have your say in things, but your still discovering things about yourself. You're still a kid.
At a certain age, your expected to take matters into your own hands. I think that is a great thing. You can't just wait for others or yourself to say that you're an adult. It's something that comes naturally when you realize what you want to do in your life. Even though those things may change over the years, it still shows that you're a responsible human being. Someone who's able to make it in the world.
3
Once a person turns 18, the age in which you can vote, purchase tobacco products, and, by certain implications of the law, become a legal adult, you should be immediately allowed to have the same opportunities as anyone else above the age of 18. Personally, once I turn 18 and graduate high school I would consider myself an adult. The Government needs to decide whether or not to implicate these guidelines as either 18 or 21. It makes no sense to myself why we have certain age restrictions to 21 but more personal responsibility when we turn 18. By the age of 18, the vast majority of human beings have a developed brain and should face adult consequences if they make the wrong decision. By turning 18 you have now ended your times for extra benefits.
@Ben Galvanoni I agree. Unfortunately, the age to put your tobacco products have been raised to age 21 federally. It’s very silly that you are considered a legal adult with many responsibilities at age 18, but you don’t have full autonomy over your body. You can vote, marry, and enlist in the military at 18 which are important life decisions that you can make at the age but still aren’t old enough to enjoy a beer or enjoy a cigar.
@Ben Galvanoni I agree. Unfortunately, the age to buy tobacco products has been raised to age 21 federally. It’s very silly that you are considered a legal adult with many responsibilities at age 18, but you don’t have full autonomy over your body. You can vote, marry, and enlist in the military at 18 which are important life decisions that you can make at the age but still aren’t old enough to enjoy a beer or enjoy a cigar.
@Ben Galvanoni I have to disagree with you. I believe adulthood comes with responsibility and after your 18th birthday, yes you can legally do certain things, but being independent from your family better represents the becoming of an adult. Childhood is full of relying on others for your needs, and becoming an individual marks the beginning of adulthood, not just being alive for 18 years.
I feel like I’m gradually becoming closer to being an adult, especially after getting my license. I no longer have to rely on my parents or places to take me places. Being able to “enlist in the military, buy alcohol, buy cigarettes, own a firearm, [or] be tried as an adult in court” really don’t have any relevance in my life, therefore don’t make me feel any more mature. Being an adult means different things for different people, and the closer I get to being 18, the more I’m realizing I won’t really be an adult until my full independence from my family.
1
I don’t feel like I’ve reached adulthood, because I’m still a dependent. The day when I’ll finally be able to completely take care of myself (+30 more days) is the day that I’ll fully consider myself to be an adult. To me legal rights aren’t considered to be an accurate representation of adulthood, the true testament to reaching adulthood is being able to completely take care of yourself.
The minimum legal age for getting married, voting, enlisting in the military, and being tried as an adult should be 18, while the legal age for owning a firearm, buying cigarettes, and buying alcohol should be 21.
The federal/head government should be responsible for placing these limits/requirements because these age requirements should be a nationwide thing, not just by region/state. Brain development, educational achievement, and maturity are a few of the things that play a big part in the placement of these age requirements.
The voting age seems right to me, because people of younger ages are more likely to be subjective, and base their vote on actual facts/logic. The voting age should be set at the average age in which people mature, just to fully make sure that they make the right choice (based on logic, not emotion).
If one of my friends was running for president then I wouldn’t really trust them to be president because they'd still be in high school (or at the max 20 years old), since by then they’d likely be educated and have some actual real world experience under their belts.
I think it's easy to say that when you turn 18, you become an adult. And that's true. 18 is the age where many things you couldn't do before, are now legal. But what does becoming an adult really mean?
Does it mean you can vote? Does it mean it's time to move out of the house? You can now buy a lottery ticket? Yeah, all these things are true. But what about the kids that have been taking care of their siblings their whole life? Those that can't go play with their friends after school because their parents work night shifts and they have to go home to cook dinner and put their siblings to bed? I think they are just as much adults as an 18 year old who can buy a lottery ticket.
So to me, there's no age of when you become an adult. It's your mindset.
3
@Sydney Short I think you have a really good response to the essay. I agree that some people are more mature at a younger age than others; I know thirteen year olds who are more mature than some eighteen year olds. It's sad that this happens to some kids, and that they have to grow up and mature so fast instead of being normal kids.
@Sydney Short
I like your comment and believe that you are completely right. When you become 18, legally you become an adult. You can do many new things legally and are seen as an adult in the court of law. This is where the United States and many other countries have officially drawn the line between minor and adult. However, when you turn eighteen, you may not be an adult based off maturity, which is far more important. I believe being an adult does not have to do as much with age, as it has to do how prepared someone is to be independent and mature. As you said, someone who has been able to do very mature things at a young age, should be classified as an adult.
As a 16 year old, sometimes I feel like an adult and feel I should be treated like one, but the more I think about it I am not ready to be an adult. The legal age to be an adult the US is 18, but we are still growing up at 18 and learning. At 18 I feel that our brains are still not developed. I also think that when an 18 year old male has to sign up for the draft that he is to young. If I could change the legal adult age I would change it to 21. If you are allowed to drink at 21, I also think you should be able to be an adult at 21.
There is no rule or regulation that states a certain age when an individual becomes grown. What makes an individual an adult is when most legal actions can be done. When their responsibilities and consequences of their behavior are held to a high degree, meaning they are not viewed as a minor anymore. Also when one is capable to provide for all their own self needs.
Although there are certain restrictions that one who is not of legal age in the U.S. can do. For instance, one can not vote until the age of 18, even though the twenty-sixth amendment prohibits the age restriction for voting. This is because they believe people should still have the right to vote but some disagree due to their belief of immaturity.
All in all, I believe an individual becomes an adult when they can make decisions and can provide for themselves.
There is two types of Adulthood, legally and maturity. The human mind doesn’t mature until age 25, however, there are 13 year olds who are more mature than 25 year olds. Along with maturity comes independence, being able to live on your own. I personally strive for independence, I prefer to cook myself, wash my own clothes, and take of my things. Although I am not at the legal adult age, 18, I try to act mature when necessary. Adulthood is an abstract word, it can be viewed at many angles and can be interpreted in many ways. In my view, adulthood is achieved with maturity and independence, not when someone has their 18th birthday.
It is true many states have been have been inconsistent with their law making over a young adults. An 18 year can be drafted to war however can’t have the experience of sitting at a bar enjoying a beer (legally of course) until the age of 21. A young adult has the mental capabilities to Ben aware and responsible for his/her actions which is understood way beforehand the age of 21. The writer makes the argument that states have absurd law so such of that of Alaska which is strongly support on mundo behalf.
@Anthony Naranjo I agree, because courts can try 18 year olds as adults, meaning people responsible for their actions. So it does seem silly that they can’t legally enjoy a drink in public or buy tobacco at their own discretion.
The US doesn't seem to have a clear age of majority right now as laws regarding what young adults can do vary by state. In general, age 18 is when legal adulthood begins. In New York the age of majority is 18. That means they can vote, get married without permission, enter legal contracts, gamble at casinos and play the lottery, they can rent a car here, purchase firearms, serve in the military, serve on a jury, register for selective service (if you're a male) make their own healthcare decisions, work with the pornography industry, they can apply for a credit card and finance loans, they can drive without restrictions on their license, they can make a will, buy a house or rent an apartment, legally change their name, live independently from their parents, get tattoos and piercings without permission, be tried as adults in the courts, you name it. The only things they can't do in New York is purchase alcohol, tobacco, or handguns until 21.
Most of our laws says they're adults at 18, but with the recent federal legislation to raise the age for tobacco from 18 to 21, it has made me question where the line is. If one is allowed to do all the things listed above, then they should be allowed to drink and smoke. However, scientists say that human brain isn't finished developing until 25 which they use to justify delaying certain vices until a few years later. So for most legal purposes 18, scientifically age 25.
In the United States, you are given constitutional rights and certain priviledges when you turn eighteen. These rights include the right to vote while the privileges include the right to buy property. In the eyes of the law, you are considered an adult when you turn 18. This consideration has led to countless incarcerations of youth in our prison system. Some of these youth are stripped of their rights after serving their terms. In other situations, the government has believed it apt to protect the youth. The legal drinking age is an example of federal protection of the youth. In practice, you are an adult when you become responcible for yourself and your actions. These responsibilities range from paying for your own utilities to making your own food. Eighteen year-olds are allowed certain privileges but protected from other privileges until deemed necessary.
I have always believed that an adult is someone who is the age of 18 and older, like the law states. However, some people might disagree and say that it depends on if someone is mature enough to have the responsibility to be one. In the article it states, “It’s interesting how these are people who work full-time jobs, pay their own rent, pay taxes and are eligible to vote...Yet none of this constitutes adequate proof that a person is responsible enough to drink”. Although, I do think that becoming an adult has these responsibilities, I do not think that the legal drinking age should be lower than 21. As it stated, “...most brains do not fully develop until age of 25…”, this concerns me if people are trying to lower the drinking age because it will cause more harm if people drink at an earlier age. Overall, I think being an adult is all about maturity, if a person is ready to handle the real world, like taxes, and jobs, then I think they are considered to be an adult.
I don't think that adult hood starts at a specific age. It all depends on your maturity and responsibility. I honestly think that I'm not quick an adult yet because I'm still learning many things that come with life and am still maturing. There are people out there my age that may think or act like adults but can't do everything an adult can. There's a lot to adult hood than just responsibility. You have to be a certain age for many things such as, legally driving (18) unless having a learners permit, being able to drink and smoke, join the military, etc.
@Mckenna Bechtol You have a great point! Maturity is the most important factor in judging if you are an adult or not. Some people can be 18 or 21 and still not be mature enough to be considered an adult.
I do not think in any way, shape, or form that I am near an adult stage in my life I still have so much more to learn in the world to become an adult, and I’m not even at a legal age to be an adult. I think Adulthood has to do most with the things you do in your life. When you own a house, pay taxes, and drink alcohol, I would automatically think that this person is an adult. I think that drinking and voting is a big contributor to adulthood. Mainly because you are voting to select who our leaders within our country will be. Drinking is also a very big thing because you must be 21 or older to legally drink and at that age, you are an adult.
@Maurice Vetri I agree, even though you are considered an adult at 18 I still have so much to learn. I will be 18 in less than two years which is crazy to me because I still feel like a kid. I think being an adult doesn't have to due with you age much but more of you maturity.
I do not believe that the word “adult” should be used on someone because they have turned 18. Being an “adult” is about maturity, responsibility, and how you handle certain situations. At 18, even if you are off on your own all independent at college, who is paying for it? Who is sending you money so you can eat everyday? Although you might not be ready to be on your own at 18, you can legally be charged as an adult, get a tattoo, and vote. I believe the number 18 is just what you are viewed at legally, and adult. But your brain isn’t fully developed until 25, yet some 13 year olds can act more mature than some 25 year olds. Being an adult is when you can be self sufficient. It’s when you are an independent individual who knows how to maturely act and solve problems. But mainly if you can take care of yourself without being dependent on others, wether it’s your parents, grandparents, siblings. I am almost a year away from being 18, and I do not think I am ready to be an adult any time soon.
Adulthood is unique to each and every person, an attainment achieved only after one follows their own journey psychological maturation. In this way, no one set qualifications determine adulthood, but rather an individualized collection of experiences that leads to a greater sense of civil belonging. Voting, marriage, or the legality of alcohol are not milestones to adulthood. I predict that adulthood will come to many of my generation as an unrecognizable change in our collective understanding in our societal duties, obligations, and privileges. Growing up, it has always felt as though the adults around you simply know it all, have the answer, understand why the world works the way it does. Of course, no person of any age can claim they have all the answers, but I believe the acknowledgement of this limitation is when a young adult reaches adulthood. Age does not have to play a role in this transition; some youth are wise beyond their years and could be considered more of an adult than many middle aged citizens. For example, climate activist Greta Thunberg has an innate understanding of her global responsibility. The same could be said of Malala Yousafzai. These young women may not have the years of a "normal" adult, but have managed to not only accomplish astonishing feats, but also give the world a glimpse into their extraordinary minds. Rather than societal milestones, it is this deeper social and community intelligence that brings one from childhood into adulthood.
Firstly I don’t think that there is one concrete age where you can say “I have become an adult” Many things are steps to becoming an adult like paying taxes, buying a house, being able to vote, and yes, some would view drinking as a right of passage into adulthood as well. Furthermore our bodies, and more importantly our brains are not fully developed until well past any of the age restrictions that are laws in the United States. I think that we shouldn’t be able to do some things like getting married until they are sure that they want to and their brains are fully developed, because especially choosing who you want to be with for the rest of your life is a decision you should be able to think about rationally. However this is sometimes a longer time than many want to wait to be able to drink or join the military. I think that the adults rightfully can and do make requirements to determine these laws, and in the future maybe someone will come up with a test to measure decision making to see if someone should be able to make their own decisions, but until that day which the judgement ability can be measured in one test, allowing the people who have already gone through this period in life should set the standards.
@Nathaniel I agree with you, but I also think that people under 21 are more than capable of making their own decisions. Teenagers are constantly put under pressure in high school and college and they gain decision making skills from this.
When you are 18 or 19, you would usually go off to college. Live in a dorm, without your parents. Many people start making the transition from being dependent to being independent in this time period. I personally know that I wouldn’t want to be completely dependent on my parents when I’m in college and I would definitely like to make my own decisions. Be an adult.
In your comment, you wanted a test that would determine a person’s judgement. But you can’t standardize judgement. We gain our judgement skills through experiences, good or bad, and our emotions. Sometimes our judgement is clouded with our emotions, although whose isn’t.
I think teenagers should be allowed making more hard decisions as they progress towards their life. And if they make a bad one, then that would reflect their judgement and ultimately harm them in some way.
3
I believe that the age of actually becoming an adult is 24. I have cousins who are almost all older than 21, and they are no adults. They are more immature than me in many aspects such as humor and responsibility, but since they are older than 18 or 21, they get treated differently. I agree you should get treated differently when you are 18 or 21, meaning less parental supervision, more independence, and the ability to make choices for yourself, but college students definitely are not adults. 24 is a good age for being labeled as an adult because 24 year olds have been out of college for a few years and know what the real world is like. It is common for 24 year olds to not live at home, have their own real job, and be almost completely independent.
Although I’d like to say that I think I’m mature enough to be an adult, the reality is that I’m not. Maturity is just one of the factors that define whether a person is an adult. To be an adult is more than just that, adulthood is when people know how, and when, to pay taxes and schedule their own doctors appointments (among other things). There is no exact age that we can for sure say is connected to adulthood because people reach milestones like the ones mentioned previously at different points in their lives. Who should be responsible in determining when a person has reached adulthood? That should be up to people themselves to decide because no one else in the world knows us as good as we know ourselves. Adulthood is complicated and there isn’t one set of standards that a person has to meet in order to become an adult, instead there are many factors that go into it.
The dividing line between childhood and adulthood remains blurry; resulting from age requirement discrepancies for full-time employment, voting, marriage, driving, drinking, military enlistment, etc. Being a sixteen year old minor, I have to argue that I have not yet collided with the burden of adulthood, but cherish the idea of gaining adult responsibilities in moderation. It may seem controversial to some that one could enlist without having the right to vote, or one could vote without having the right to drink, or that one could drink without having the right to marry. However, maturity is a process, which justifies the range in age requirements. The idea that responsibility won’t be unloaded on individuals at the turning of a certain age offers relief to many. Maturity can not be defined by any age or responsibility, but by how one upholds their freedoms. Therefore, when I attain the ability to accomplish all my responsibilities in an upstanding manner, I am an adult.
I don't feel like an adult. When I reach adulthood, I probably start reflecting on the past more. Rather than being connected to a certain age, I feel that adulthood is more linked to specific responsibilities, however, these responsibilities aren't imposed on you by the adults but your own decision or surroundings (a sense of duty).
I believe that becoming an adult is not a law or scientific fact, but a mindset that we all grow into as we mature. Therefore the time you develop this mindset will differ for everyone. I've been in many situations where people have expected something of me that I feel I am not truly ready for. For example, my parents have been pushing me to start driving but every time I get on the road I just feel in my gut that its not the right time for me; they say that I have to start acting like an adult. I am only going to put myself into situations I feel I can handle well. Of course I'm still pushing myself to grow and improve but forcing myself into a situation I'm not mature enough for will only do more harm. Therefore, people grow at different paces, for that is what makes us individuals.
Under the law, you can vote or be drafted at the age of sixteen in America. The age of consent ranged between 16-18 depending on the state you live in. You can get a tattoo and piercings, with parental consent, and get your drivers license at the age of 16. You can buy a house and a rifle at 18. Depending on the state you can buy alcohol if you're under 18 or 21, and under the new law 21 to buy tobacco. You can purchase a handgun at 20 and private unlicensed sales are federally allowed at any age for rifles and shotguns. On in the biological aspect, Your body stops developing at 18 and your brain stops developing at 25. It seems as far as the laws are concern when you become 18 you are seen as a legal adult. I think you become an adult when you feel the responsibilities and start acting like. Whether you like it or not the feeling of being an adult is not limited to a specific age.
I do not feel like an adult at all. I feel like I am a relatively mature person but I think that maturity only plays so much into being an adult. I think there is a lot of authority and experience that comes with age that makes adults what they are. I believe that when you are at the age when there are no longer laws preventing you from doing things for being too young, combined with maturity and responsibilities, you are an adult.
I think that 25 is the best age to legally make life-changing decisions without parental guidance because of brain development.
There is no one age where everyone can be classified as an adult. For most people, their brains are not fully developed until the age of 25 key-words most. Things like voting and drinking are in no way connected just because you can vote and have your own opinion on something does not mean you are responsible enough to drink but if you are responsible enough to be drafted and risk your life in the army you are more then responsible enough to drink. So the age of the draft should be risen instead of the legal drinking limit lowered. This is because we have made progress with the current legislation with a near 80% decrease in deaths due to driving while drunk. Still many things especially drinking should be given some sort of test to see if you are responsible enough to have this privilege and not abuse it and risk the lives of others.
@Mustafa Elabd I agree with your perspective in which there is no age that defines when someone becomes an adult. A great point you make is that at any age we can have our own opinions but that does not mean that we should be allowed to drink or be in position of weapons, because it is true, I could believe that capitalism is the best for the country however that doesn't mean that I should be able to go to a bar and order a drink. Because my brain and body are still developing which would in the future affect my ideas and opinions and even actions. When you mention the argument on drafting and drinking, that if you can be old enough to kill people, then you maybe you should be able to drink.
I think that you become an adult when you can take care of yourself and act mature enough to handle all sorts of situations, even if they might be incredibly challenging emotionally or otherwise.
@Liliana Deason I agree as the article brings in the topic of alcohol at the age of 21 as it is the legal age of consumption, it expresses when you're able vote then the ability to drink should be available. At the same time the age of 18 has a whole new sense of responsibility as it is the legal age of adulthood which many may not be ready for. When you become an adult you are able to resolve situations without having to rely on people. This is due to having gone through life experiences and growing as a person from mistakes from the past. In all it is up for interpretation when one becomes considered an adult as it comes down to maturity.
@Liliana Deason I completely agree with you because I've met some immature adults yet they still have more rights than a responsible teenager. I believe that just because you reach a certain age doesn't mean your mentality reaches that same age. You could be in your 20's and act like a child and then be a teenager and act like a grown-up, which is someone who knows how to handle problems, someone who has responsibilities, and someone who is mature. Becoming an adult isn't a physical age thing it's more of a mental age thing. You pretty much summed up what I was thinking in your short comment.
I feel like I am becoming an adult, I have my own bathroom, I wash my clothes, I vacuum the house, I take full time care of my cat, and I wipe myself.
The brain is fully developed at 25, that should be the age of consent.
We as people should vote to make these laws.
1. I feel that I'm not an adult yet as I am still taking advantage of my parent's money, housing, and food.
You need to enjoy life until you hate it. Growing up is dealing with your hate and overpowering it in order to become a better person. There is a moment in everyone’s life when the need to grow out of their comfort zone, and that moment is the beginning of adulthood. If you’re going to ask about age- same rule applies. You could become an adult at 12 years old and be more mature than a 26 year old baby.
Becoming an adult depends on the maturity level of that person. I personally think that you become an adult when you are fully responsible for yourself. This is when you get all of your rights and you have to take care of yourself legally and financially. Becoming an adult depends on the maturity level of that person. I personally think that you become an adult when you are fully responsible for yourself. This is when you get all of your rights and you have to take care of yourself legally and financially.
I think you legally become an adult when you are 18. Mentally you become an adult when you are able to make choices without instantly choosing the option that seems the most fun. Work before play. I am not an adult because I refuse to be an adult.
I don’t know what age people should be allowed to be able to have the “privileges of an adult,” as said by Charlotte Lawson in the article. I do definitely think that there should be an age limit for SOME of the privileges. More specifically, buying alcohol, cigarettes, and owning a firearm. It’s pretty obvious that these are some of the more dangerous things on the list. The U.S. really doesn’t need more drunk driving accidents. Already about 30 people in the U.S. die from drunk driving accidents daily, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Cigarettes are also deadly since they can cause lung cancer and are addictive. Owning a firearm could be a danger especially with the rising amount of shootings recently. Enlisting in the military is a more complicated topic in my eyes. During war we should have as many people as possible to try and win but should we really be risking the lives of the younger generation? Personally I don’t think so but at the same time, if that person lives, they might become one of our best soldiers.
I do not feel like I am an adult now. I think I'll know when I've become an adult once I can passively handle all of the complications and responsibilities that adult like throws at me. I don't think you have to be an adult to live an adult life. I also think that minimum age laws are set in place based on how much experience you have, because you'll never reach a certain age and have suddenly have perfect judgement. I think the voting age should be lower because today more young people are exposed to politics, but younger people are also easier to influence.
I do not think that I am an adult yet because I rely on my parents and . I will know when I am an adult when I am more responsible. i think the legal age should be 20 years old. I think we, as a state should decide the age for the legal age. I also think that the voting age should be 20 years old.
I believe that the term 'adult' can have a different definition for everyone. For me, one is not an adult until they are self sufficient. In the case of myself, I would not consider myself as an adult. I still rely on my parent for shelter, money, food and advice. This could mean that a minor could be an adult but the middle age man or woman may not be. As I look around at my peers I can see students who support themselves and their sibling with minimal help from their parents or guardians. I would consider them an adult.
I think that we as a society attribute mile stones like adulthood, or when student start kindergarten too much on age. Regardless of mental capacity or maturity.
I feel like I am an adult now because my family does not really care about each other and it's always been the survival of the fittest for as long as I can remember. I feel like you would know when you have reached adulthood by knowing that you have responsibilities to perform and understanding that your choices have consequences. I think that adulthood is not connected to being a certain age or having specific responsibilities because of each person develops at a different pace, with some being ready at a much early age than others.
I feel like the legal minimum age for getting married should be 25 because you are in the middle of your 20's and you should have some common sense. I feel like the legal minimum age for voting should continue to be 18 because some people have the right mindset to vote. I feel like the legal minimum age for enlisting in the military should be 17 without parental consent because enlisting is a choice and not a requirement and many people don't want to join the military so let the people that want to join the military join. I feel like the legal minimum age for buying alcohol should stay the way that it is because minor's brains are still developing during the teenage years.
I think the minimum age requirements are necessary to protect young people from adult risks and responsibilities because it shows them the consequences if they don't follow these rules and how their lives can get affected.
I don’t think their is anyone set age that applies to everyone. You become an adult when you have maturity, responsibility, and at least some independence and all of this does not suddenly come over night once you turn 18 or 25. Becoming an adult depends the experiences you’ve had and it could even be argued to some extent genetics. Nevertheless, I do agree with the current voting age. Eighteen is a decent age at which most American teens have gotten at least 11 years of education and have learned and lived enough to have their own opinions separate from their parents. I think to be able to vote one must be at least somewhat educated and have their own individual opinion, or else their votes do not actually represent the informed public.
I think that, while some parts of adulthood depend on age (like legal ages for driving, voting, marriage, drinking, etc.), becoming an adult depends on your maturity and self-reliance. People who start working and living independently at a young age could be considered adults. However, people who are legally an adult but still rely on their parents for housing and food and are not ready to be in charge of their own lives might not be considered adults.
There is no specific age that you can attach to a person and classify them as an adult. Being an adult comes with being responsible and being able to take care of yourself. Turning 18 doesn’t just magically turn you into an adult.
I am not 18 yet, but I feel like people still treat “minors” as children. Obviously for legal reasons, there is always going to be a certain age limit, which is understandable. But I wish people would stop treating people based on their age and start treating them like a normal person.
@Reilly Johnson Speaking from a similar point of you becoming an adult is in fact when a person can and this can come in many ways such as financially however I believe that some teens under 18 have the capability to identify as an adult through their level of maturity.
I think that being an adult is when do and show adult actions like being responsible, advocating for yourself, and etc. Though there are some adults that still act like children and there are some children that act like adults. As you get older you are expected to do more "adult things." Some people mature faster than others and some still are childish. But really I think some don't understand what truly being an adult is even though they may be far of age.
I do not think that there is a certain age where people “become adults”. To me it depends on the person and the maturity level that certain person has. There isn't an official way of saying that someone is an "adult" but some people turn that chapter in their lives earlier than others. When it comes to things like voting, I think that 18 is a good age for it to start. 18 seems to be an age where you are already driving, you can be drafted, and more. Drinking in other parts of the country is 18 and then in the United States it is 21. It doesn't bother me the age for drinking but my entire family lives in Ireland and there it is 18.
At this moment in time I do not see myself as an adult nor close to being one. I am 15 and a Sophomore in Highschool. My brother is 19 and a senior in Highschool. Yes, he has more responsibilities than I do when it comes to the "adult" department but I also do not see him as an adult based on his lifestyle.
@Emma Dunne
I agree with you that there is not a specific point in one’s life that they instantly snap into adulthood. You had mentioned that it comes at a point in one’s life where they are at a level of maturity and take on a certain amount of responsibility, and I think that is a great way of putting it. Furthermore, the comment made about the voting age being 18 was pretty spot on with my thinking as well. While they may not be full-fledged adults at 18, I think that they are now wise enough to make decisions for who they want to impact their lives going forward. I personally believe that adulthood starts after college, because at that point you are forced to make major decisions in your life such as jobs, housing, partners, or even where to do your laundry. While you are away from your parents at college, there is still a guideline and set of rules in place dictating what you can and cannot do, but after graduation, you are thrown out of the nest and expected to fly solo. I myself am a junior in high school, and I’m already worried about how my life will pan out, but hopefully by when the time comes, I’ll know exactly where I want to go and how I want to leave my mark on the world.
I believe that the current age of adulthood is reasonable because being 18 is working and paying rent, getting you ready for real-life and once you're 21 you would be more mature and realize that you have responsibilities and won't want to drink or drink too much.
I believe adulthood comes with the ability to make the right decisions when you can do and go wherever you want. It also comes along with having basic knowledge about politics, history, and other common areas like mathematics and language. Therefore, I believe that you are an adult when you have graduated high school and are legally allowed to drive. You do not have to have a licence to be an adult but you do have to be at the legal age where you can get a licence if you so choose. Public transportation gives people of all ages the ability to travel most places when they would like. But one who graduates high school at 13 should not legally be an adult. And one who is 19 but has not finished high school should not be an adult either. Regulations on consent and sexual activity should be left to the family and those choosing to be involved in these activities. People should not be able to drink, smoke, snort, vape, or digest any alcohol, drugs, or harmful substances until 25 when their brain is fully developed to prevent them from harm in development. People need to have rights and freedom, but only if they are smart enough to use them wisely.
I think that the age of becoming an adult is not any set age. I personally think it is whenever you can financially support yourself or when you graduate college. I think if there was a specific age for becoming an adult I would say it is around 22-25 depending on the person.
I think that it id good that the legal age for becoming an adult is 18 becaus by than most people are ready for the previlages of becoming 18. But not everyone is responsible enough for these rights. I think that people shouldn't be adults until they are able to provide for themselves and live on there own without relying on their parents or guardians
I believe that adulthood is dependent on each person and their circumstance. I do not believe that eighteen is the age where this usually happens. Adulthood is when you are able to fend for yourself and think for yourself. This could be closer to twenty-two or even twenty-five. I believe that the age to drive and vote should be eighteen, but because they keep this I believe they should also make this the age to drink and smoke. If they can help make the decision of who runs the country then they should be allowed to make the decision on what they allow their bodies to consume. I believe that owning a firearm should be restricted to twenty-five unless they have a legal hunting license, then it could be eighteen.
@Natasha I agree with you that becoming an adult is not necessarily a set age; rather, it is dependent on each person’s life experiences and when they are able to become financially and socially independent. For some people this could occur in college but this might also occur after college. I also agree that it seems strange for the voting age and drinking age to not line up with each other. Since the country feels eighteen year olds are mature enough to decide the future of our politics, I wonder why they do not feel they are mature enough to responsibly drink?
Adulthood happens when you reach financial and physical independence. This could happen in college, when students live alone, cook or buy their own meals, and often hold jobs. It could also happen earlier if a person is forced to leave their home and fend for themselves, or later, if a person continues to rely on their parents or guardians for housing, money, or to clean up their messes. Based on this logic, I am not currently an adult. I think that I will become an adult towards the end of my college experience, or possibly after it.
I believe that there should be minimum age laws to protect people from responsibilities they are not ready for. I believe that either people should be able to have adult responsibilities at 25 once their brain develops and they have acquired some knowledge and life experience or once someone graduates high school because they have received an education that should inform them on adult decision making (whether or no the education system does this effectively is another matter).
I think that the laws here regarding drinking and driving are backward. In other countries, kids are able to legally start drinking younger, but they push the age to start driving farther. One of the top causes of collisions and vehicular deaths is drinking while driving, and I think the US has got the laws wrong in this area. We should be able to experiment and drink alcohol while we are younger and still living with parents and under the supervision of an adult who can be there for you, because usually kids our age is drinking regardless but they hide it and do things that are stupid, like driving, while drunk that could be avoided if they felt able to talk to their parent about it. Now if a 17 or 18-year-old is able to drink, they should not be able to drive. I think the law around driving should not start until the child is 18 years old. This way they have been able to experiment with things before they hit the road. Laws need to be more reasonable and realistic of what really goes on in our society.
I think that the voting age needs to be lowered. There are plenty of well-educated minors across the states whose voices should be heard. The age law is slightly absurd. There are many people who are well over voting age that have half the mind of some of my peers.
@Montana Hamel So if, as you said, many people our age and above are not knowledgeable enough to cast an educated vote, why should the voting age be lowered? I understand what you are saying, but it makes my wonder if there is a better way to regulate eligibility to vote. Natasha and I thought about some alternatives: maybe citizens should take a test about their base knowledge of politics; with questions like "What is the Senate?" or "What is the difference between the republican and democratic party?", basic questions to ensure a voter understands what their vote means. Or they could simply be asked to write a short description about why they voted the way they did. But these ideas come with their own set of problems: who would correct or approve these "tests"? Would the number of knowledgeable voters decrease of they don't want to answer any questions? What non-digital way could we accomplish this without further harming the environment? This is a very hard problem to solve, and there doesn't seem to be a clear answer.
When you turn 18, you become an adult.
4
I do not necessarily think that we all become adults once we reach a certain age. Adulthood is determined by maturity. However, it is difficult to measure one’s maturity; there is no test or law that gives one the authority and sophistication of an adult. I have friends who are younger than 18, and I would trust them with my life. On the flip side, I also have friends over 21, and I would be somewhat hesitant to place my life in their hands. These feelings of hesitation translate over to responsibilities like voting and drinking. It is important that we all feel represented when we vote, but voting below the age of 18 might end with many teenagers voting for laws and figures solely because their friends or parents did so too. Similarly, I do not think it is disastrous when teenagers younger than 21 drink alcohol, though drinking irresponsibly can have dire consequences. Overall, I feel as though the drinking age and voting age should be the same. If we are old enough to vote for the leaders of our country, we should be old enough to drink alcohol once in a while. We become adults when we are mature enough to act and think like adults.
@Amelia Boeh I agree with the point you’re trying to make, maturity does equal adulthood, however; I would also like to add the fact that independence is important as well. When someone becomes independent they become an adult, they learn how to live by themselves. That’s not saying people who don’t live by themselves aren’t adults, but people who can self sustain, either that is cooking for yourself or paying rent.
I think that the current voting age of 18 is reasonable. Many high schools teach government and require students to take the class to graduate. That way when people turn 18 they are educated about the government and their rights or are in the process of learning about them. I don’t think that the voting age should be lowered because some 18 year olds that can vote don’t, and I can’t imagine that more people would vote if the voting age was lowered. Part of that is because most high school students don’t pay attention to politics or they don’t understand the points that candidates are trying to sell the public on. If 18 year olds were more educated about the topics that are being discussed during debates, then they will probably be more willing to vote.
I believe that once you have a stable job and are able to economically support yourself, you can be considered an adult. You should be independent enough to live comfortably without your parents aid, otherwise there is no real sign of growing up, as your acting them same way as a child or teen would. When you get the right to vote, you should be able to contribute to society, otherwise how would the new laws and government officials even
affect you? Adulthood is a passage into the real world, so there should be real changes in how someone chooses to live, instead of just someone living off their parents money all of their life. While this point might come after different times for everyone, and maybe even never for some, I think this is the time when people can truly be “adults”
1
@Melissa Dudley
You make a compelling argument as to what it means to be an adult: being independent from one’s parents. I agree that one becomes an adult when one no longer depends on one’s parents. Many teenagers go to college after high school, moving away from their parents shortly after their eighteenth birthdays. In my opinion, moving out of the house is a milestone in one’s life that is adequately significant to mark the start of adulthood. In addition to becoming independent, being able to vote is another significant milestone that is characteristic of becoming an adult and typically coincides with moving out of the house. For both of these reasons, I believe it is reasonable to argue that one becomes an adult at age eighteen. However, as Maria Cramer points out in her article “When Are You Really an Adult?”, being able to consume alcohol—legal only over the age of twenty-one—is another important milestone marking the start of adulthood. Because the legal drinking age is higher than the age required to vote and serve in the military, the question of when one becomes an adult is not clear. Despite this fact, I agree that it is reasonable to argue that one becomes an adult when one becomes independent.
We become adults not at age 18, when we can vote. Or even at age 21 when more recreational activities are at our disposal, but when we are put into circumstances that change us. Some people don’t become adults till much later in life. However for some, adulthood comes during adolescence, when we are forced to change to meet the circumstances forced upon us. Poverty, domestic issues, substance abuse, and social issues. These are some of the many factors which force very young people to become adults very fast.
@Nuha Hussain I agree with you in the sense that adulthood can come at different times for everyone and is based largely on the changing environment around them and their development as a result, however, since the “age one becomes an adult” is unique for everyone by this standard, the government has a nearly impossible challenge in trying to decide an umbrella age of adulthood. Since I don’t think anyone could develop a system of accurately and fairly determining when someone should be deemed an adult in the eyes of the law based on their unique circumstances and development instead of age, it is (for now) necessary to use the concept of age to give legal privileges. As far as the legal privileges provided at adulthood, I say that if someone is given the responsibilities of an adult like voting, managing their own finances, or even being drafted, then they should also be given the privileges of an adult like drinking or smoking if they so choose. If scientists, politicians, and the general public believe the age at which adult privileges should be given is 21, then they should also agree that adult responsibilities should be given at 21 as well.
I may feel like an adult because people treat me that way, but I know that I still have a ways to go till I reach full maturity. I am given responsibilities that give me a sense of independence, which is one of the key characteristics associated with adulthood; however, I definitely do not live in my own house, own my own car, keep track of all my finances, and do not have a job. I do not think adulthood is characterized at a certain age; however, 25 seems to be the average age people reach full mental maturity. Legal rights exemplify adulthood but are also responsibilities. Adulthood means that one can be independent and responsible, so the added responsibilities that one is given as one grows older fully correlates with one’s transition from childhood to adulthood. Secondly, I am not fully knowledgeable in teen versus adult maturity so my conjecture for the legal minimum age for many adult activities may be misguided. That being said, I believe that the minimum age for adult activities such as drinking should be definitely in the early 20s. These age requirements should be based on brain development, educational achievement, and maturity. Benming Zhang faced skepticism because he is very young. Most young people are considered naive and misguided because they have little experience. Thirdly, I believe that my peers and I would be more politically active if we were given suffrage. However, I believe there is a reason that the rules are the rules.
I feel that there is no certain age to become adult, but to become an adult you have act like one. I believe that when people turn 18 they need to starting acting like adult and live like an adult. The responsibilities of being an adult, is to first survive the reality of the world, pay rent, bills and supplies including food. If I turn 18 my parent might still see me as a kid, after the experience I had. But when living with my parent at the age of 18 I might not do any adult thing but definitely living alone. i don't believe that i'm adult now because I'm not 18 yet and I'm still acting like a kid than an adult.
I feel that theirs not a specific age that you become an adult because as you grow up you are slowly exposed to what life is like as an adult. For example, middle school is for relying less on your parents. Your parents start to give you more responsibilities. As a freshman in high school you start to learn how to drive and are faced with more strict rules. Sophomore year you start to drive and maybe get a job small job. By junior year most will have a job and you have to decide what you want to do for the rest of your life. Senior year you can vote, you have to choose a college, and you start to be independent. Then of course college comes and you have to live on your own and that leads to the rest of your life. Even as kids we learn how to save up money and that we have to work for our money. But if i did have to choose an age when you become an adult it would be 18. This is because this is the age when you are really faced with independence.
I don not believe that becoming an adult is determined by age. I would like to look at the age "18" as a goal in terms of thinking about things that one should be doing by that time to consider or at least lead up to be being an adult by that time. In the article it mentions “If 18-year-olds are burdened with the responsibility of adulthood, they should be afforded some of its privileges..." This is something that i agree with but i don't believe this applies to everyone who is 18. There are 17 year old somewhere who can pay rent and pay bills and so i feel that if your are one of those people you do deserve some privileges as the quote says, and vise versa, if your are not that person who is taking upon those kinds of responsibility or isn't ready too then you shouldn't get certain privileges. "Lawmakers reasoned that if you were old enough to vote, you were old enough to drink..." Voting age is another concept that feel needs to be discussed. The two ideas of drinking and voting should not be compared, drinking alcohol is something that you bring upon yourself, but voting is something that affects a large group of people. Therefore having someone with no knowledge of what is going on politically vote can be an issue. Yet again there are people younger than 18 who do have the knowledge and those should be able to vote.
I think that someone becomes an adult when they are response for every single action that they do. This is as simple as paying a bill to fighting a case. I know that your actions have consequences and you aren’t an adult till you have to understand those consequences and figure them out on your own. Parents usually nurture there children and help them or even shield them from any problems that come their way. This although is proper for a child will lead to a severe lack of responsibility and unsustainable. To a person over the age of 18 can still be a child if they are unable to take responsibility for their actions and figure out these actions on their own. But do am I an adult yet, the simple answer is no. There are hundreds of things my parents still do for me that I don’t see or notice that I would never be able to do on my own. I got a taste of this when I lived alone for 3 months with only my siblings. My parents assumed we knew how to write a check, pay bills, make food, take care of the house, fill out medical forms, etc. When in reality me and my “adult” sibling were lost beyond belief and we turned to the Internet for answers, this helped me finally understand that I am anything but self sufficient or an adult. Going to the doctor as a consequence of me doing something stupid was very difficult for me. Setting a time and a place having all the proper insurance forms helped me realize very quickly that being an adult is hard, I would rather stay a child.
When I think “adult” I think of having a lot of responsibilities such as taxes, and a job. I may not be an adult yet but I think the age of 21 is when you become a full fledged adult. By 21 you are probably in the middle of a 4 year college and have some sort of job that you use to pay off your books for school or to pay off other debts for school. You also most likely have a car that you may or may not have to make payments on. Once you assume a lot of responsibility that is when you become an adult.
I am nowhere near being an adult. I am definitely still a child who makes some questionable decisions. Even when I'm 18, I'll probably won't be an adult, only by law. 18 is a good age to set minimums for. You're entering college and you'll get to some type of maturity you didn't have back in high school. I'm not surprised about the skepticism Zhang faced. He was probably seen as young and had little experience or knowledge. My peers are 14-15 and are very immature with no interest in politics so I could not see them running for office now or in five years.
I definitely feel like I am not an adult yet, since I am not even close to being 18 or 21. I think the age that you become an adult is 18 years old, because that is the age you finish high school and start to do a lot of things on your own and maybe even live by yourself. I think that there should be a certain age in order to do things such as voting or drinking because you probably won’t make as good choices as a 16 year old as compared to being an 18 or 21 year old. In my opinion, some things should be for older people, such as drinking or voting, so those responsibilities should be left for when you are an adult. I think that things like voting and drinking demonstrate a transition into adulthood because those things are things you have to do on your own, and I think that when you start to do everything on your own then you are becoming an adult.
I think that the legal minimum age for doing all these “adult” activities should be 18. At that point in your life, you should be responsible enough to be able to live on your own, do everything by yourself, and be able to do things that are “adult” activities. I agree with what someone said in the article that if we’re going to be forced to act like adults at the age of 18, we should be given privileges that adults have at that age.
I think you should have to take some sort of test to see if you are responsible enough to drink, join the army, and other privileges. Just because you are of a certain age does not mean you are responsible enough to do these things. Driving age should still be 16, and I think voting age should be too. Young people are becoming more politically active, and I think our country should nurture this passion instead of squashing it down. You should be able to get married at whatever age you wish if you have parental permission or are over 18. You should be tried as an adult in court after you graduate high school, because some 18 year olds are still in high school, and I don't think high schoolers are "adults" in the sense of the word.
I do not feel like an adult right now because I am still in middle school and have many restrictions due to my age. I will feel like an adult when I have my own freedom and responsibilities. I think adulthood is determined by age, but you don’t need to reach adulthood to act like an adult or have responsibilities of an adult.
@Nathanael Kassahun we both agree that to become an adult you have to assume a lot of responsibility. I personally think that becoming an adult does't have an age. I think that maybe we both would agree that you become an adult when you have multiple responsibilities to keep up with.
@Alexander Jacaruso I also don't agree that adulthood has an age, but I also don't agree with you saying just when you have multiple responsibilities. Responsibilities are vital for determining whether you are an adult yet, but not just how many. How big your responsibilities are matters more than how many. For example, many children have the responsibility to do their chores and go to school, however, that doesn't make them an adult.
I think 18 is the age you become an adult, I think this because you are done with school and now you can go to college or do something else in your life. When you turn 18 it's a new chapter in your life and you take on new responsibilities. You have to pay taxes and you might have to move out and live with a roommate or even on your own. At this age, you have to be responsible for yourself and start figuring out what you want to do with your life. I think it is very scary to enter a new chapter in your life and it can be overwhelming to take all the new responsibilities that come with getting older, but as you get older you learn how to take on new responsibilities and how to manage them.
I feel that I am not an adult yet. I think this because if I am still liveing under the roof of my parents and I don't have a job yet. I think that I will have reached adulthood when I have a job and either in college or if I have a steady job and home. I do believe that adulthood has to do with ages and responsibilities because when you get into your early 20’s you are supposed to either be in school or have a job. I do think that legal rights like drinking and voting is to show that you can handle being an adult(not saying that you can go back to being a child). For example one of your legal rights when you are an adult, is that you can drink.. This means that you are supposed to know how much to drink and when enough is enough.
I think that instead of having an age requirement only, there should be an age requirement but after that you have to take some sort of test to prove you are responsible to drink smoke etc. I think after the age of 20 you will be allowed to take a test to be allowed to smoke. This is because some 21 year olds are not responsible enough to just be granted a privilege. It is like the driving test. You need to prove that you can drive before you get your license. Enlisting in the military will not need a responsibility test that is okay with just being 18.
4
@Adah D'Alba I like the idea of taking tests to determine whether or not you are ready for things such as alcohol and nicotine. Many people even at my age (16) use both of these substances, and it is killing their brain growth. I think that if we eliminated the age and just made you take a test when you turned 21, we would get rid of lots of underage drinking and substance use. Also, entering the military without taking a responsibility test is pretty self explanatory, because it already takes TONS of responsibility to serve our country. However, I would like to add on to this. I think we should take responsibility tests when applying to colleges. That way, colleges can get an idea of who they are getting. They could admit a very smart and involved person, but they may have trouble living on their own and living up to the responsibility requirements that you must have to be living on campus for four years. I believe this would help improve our entire nation's education status, as well as responsibility and self advocacy to become a more productive person.
@Adah D'Alba I agree, like just because you are 18 and considered an adult doesn't mean you are prepared for or responsible enough for adulting.