Our 18 year-olds today are a great deal more mature and more sophisticated than former generations at the same stage of development. Through their active social involvement and their participation in programs like the Peace Corps and Vista, our youth have taken the lead on many important questions at home and overseas. In hundreds of respects, they have set a far-reaching example of insight and commitment for us to emulate….
Second, by lowering the voting age to 18, we will encourage civic responsibility at an earlier age, and thereby promote lasting social involvement and political participation for our youth. On the other hand, also in the s, several states raised their minimum legal drinking ages above This culminated in the National Minimum Drinking Age Act , which penalized states for allowing people under 21 to purchase and publicly have alcohol.
Of other developed countries, however, only South Korea, Japan and Iceland also have a minimum drinking age over 18 and their older teens seem to handle it just fine. As for age of consent, in the Western world and generally speaking before imperial Rome, girls were deemed sufficiently mature for marriage and sex when they first started menstruation and boys, by the way, when they developed pubic hair. In addition, marriage was relatively unregulated by the state then, and instead was largely seen as a private family matter, so it is presumed these boundaries were fl e xible.
Moving on, the Catholic Church had rules for just about everything during the Middle Ages, and one of its most authoritative texts was the Decretum Gratiani. All that said, while these numbers are shockingly low by our modern sensibilities, contrary to popular belief, it has never really been the norm for such young individuals to get married, not even concerning women.
For example, in Massachusetts, records dating from to demonstrate that the average age of first marriage for ladies was between In fact, the average age of first marriage for all of the colonies studied was Data gathered in England, France and Germany puts the average age of first marriage for women at a whopping By the end of the 19 th century, the average age when women were first getting married in the United States was between 22 and 24 years old , and this trend continued into the s.
Surprisingly, the lowest average age of first marriage since the early s was had by the baby boom generation, where the age dropped to In any event, while one might technically be able to reproduce at ages around 12, occasional exploitation of such young individuals eventually spurred changes in the laws.
As such, over centuries this age has gradually increased in most regions of the world. However, even today in some developed countries, the age to consent to sex remains below Moving up the sliding scale, minors who are are legally allowed to have consensual sex with someone as much as three years older than themselves and year olds with someone who is no more than four years older than themselves.
Opponents of such systems argue that individuals that young can never actually give consent, as they are relatively easily coerced and not mentally mature enough to fully appreciate and factor in the potential ramifications of such acts i. On the other hand, proponents of these types of laws and keeping the age of consent relatively low cite recognition that teenagers will frequently engage in consensual intimate activities with other teens, whether legal in their particular region or not.
So potentially sending them to jail under some of the harshest penalties most legal systems have to offer for having consensual sex is absurd, particularly given that potential coercion from people far older, which is largely what originally spurred increases in age of consent, is comparatively rare, and in many cases would already be illegal anyway under separate laws.
Unsurprisingly given the complexity of the issues involved, while there is some loose rational behind the numbers, they have, on the whole, been set somewhat arbitrarily. So why are you considered an adult in most of the world when you hit 18? To sum up, people have long seemed to figure this was around the age when most humans reach a level of maturity and base-knowledge to be fully responsible for themselves and their own actions, even if said individuals will be far more mature and better equipped to handle the challenges of adulthood even just a decade later.
This article has been previously published on Today I Found Out. Stay updated with all the insights. Navigate news, 1 email day. Subscribe to Qrius. Broaden your horizons as unpack fresh trends shaping our lives. If we argue that years-old should be considered adults, then why are there still so many things that are permitted at that age? If 18 is the magic number that deems us all as adults, why are you not allowed access to these things at that age?
Growing Leaders says because we are expected to live longer lives there is no point in jumping into adulthood. Even though year-olds are given a substantial amount of responsibilities, adulthood should not come so abruptly. I think that the legal age of adulthood should be pushed to years-old because that gives individuals time to slowly transition from a kid to an adult. We should all strive to spend those years growing and learning from our experiences so that we will be better prepared for what the future has in store.
Needless to say, there is plenty of time to grow up and take on such responsibilities; live in the moment and enjoy where you are right now. Talk to your teen about friendships beyond high school.
Talk about meeting new friends down the road while also honoring some of his friendships from the past. By age 18, teens exhibit a lot of adult-like thinking even though their brains are yet done developing. They often show a lot of concern for the future. Many of them are philosophical and idealistic as well. They have a greater capacity to use insight, however. Most year-olds speak differently to their peers than they do their family or teachers. The teens who read the most are likely to have the most expansive vocabularies.
Most year-olds enjoy spending time and talking with their friends. They often have similar hobbies and interests as other adults. Your year-old may be concerned with morality. He may be continuing to evaluate his values and the type of life he wants to live as an adult. Your teen may also be thinking about his spiritual beliefs.
Changes in appetite, ongoing body image issues, behavior changes, academic issues, or changes in sleep patterns could be signs your teen is experiencing a mental health issue. Substance abuse issues may also become a problem at this age. Support his efforts in scheduling an appointment and be willing to go with him to the appointment to talk about any concerns you have.
Even though your child has turned 18, your parenting work is far from over. Instead of being the disciplinarian, you can take on more of a role of mentor and guide. Get expert tips to help your kids stay healthy and happy. Bava S, Tapert SF. Adolescent brain development and the risk for alcohol and other drug problems.
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