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Do you agree with the current age restrictions for teens and young adults?
From the NPR Story When Does Responsibility Begin? 16, 18, 21? "The path to adulthood is marked by ages that signify responsibility. But science shows those laws have very little to do with teens' ability to make good decisions. Alan Greenblatt of Governing Magazine and Temple University psychology professor Laurence Steinberg explain."
Governing magazine story: "What is the Age of Responsibility?"
From sex to driving to juvenile justice to drinking, state and local laws send young people mixed messages about their own maturity. Is there a better way?
excerpt from the same article:
"In most respects, people are considered adults at 18. That’s when they can vote and enter into legal contracts—including the purchase, if not rental, of a car. But a 20-year-old Marine, just back from patrolling the streets of Baghdad, would have to turn 21 before he could join a local police force in most cities in the United States. A 20-year-old college junior, far more educated than the average American, cannot buy alcohol or enter a casino. In 10 states, a single 20-year-old cannot legally have sex with a 17-year old. But in nearly every state, a 16-year-old can marry—if he has his parents’ permission. (A handful of states allow girls to marry before boys.)"
An interesting article from Scientific American Mind by Epstein - THE MYTH OF THE TEEN BRAIN (pdf)
What do you think about the current age restrictions for teens and young adults?
Governing magazine story: "What is the Age of Responsibility?"
From sex to driving to juvenile justice to drinking, state and local laws send young people mixed messages about their own maturity. Is there a better way?
excerpt from the same article:
"In most respects, people are considered adults at 18. That’s when they can vote and enter into legal contracts—including the purchase, if not rental, of a car. But a 20-year-old Marine, just back from patrolling the streets of Baghdad, would have to turn 21 before he could join a local police force in most cities in the United States. A 20-year-old college junior, far more educated than the average American, cannot buy alcohol or enter a casino. In 10 states, a single 20-year-old cannot legally have sex with a 17-year old. But in nearly every state, a 16-year-old can marry—if he has his parents’ permission. (A handful of states allow girls to marry before boys.)"
An interesting article from Scientific American Mind by Epstein - THE MYTH OF THE TEEN BRAIN (pdf)
What do you think about the current age restrictions for teens and young adults?
Tags: responsibility, teens
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Steph Woodward on -
I've long held the belief that we need to determine a standard age for "adulthood" and simply hold people to it, rather than continuing to jump back and forth on a situational basis. Either people are mentally capable of making adult decisions at 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21... whatever age it might be, or they're not. Continuing to manipulate that age for whatever is legally convenient at the time makes no sense and undermines the entire purpose and legitimacy of establishing such an age for "adulthood" to begin with.
If you are "adult" enough to give your life to serve your country, then you certainly are "adult" enough to make decisions regarding alchohol, gambling, and legal contracts (be it marriage or buying/renting a car), and you should be legally viewed as an adult. As it stands now, there are some places where 14 year olds can be tried as adults if it suits the whim of the court in that particular situation. And yet, the SAME court would never consider allowing that SAME 14 year old to appeal for their driver’s license or the right to go into a bar or vote, but they have no issue sending them to prison for life for a crime they commit. How, exactly, does that make sense? Either they’re developed enough to make adult decisions and perform adult acts or they’re not. It really is that simple, and I don’t see why we continue to allow the government to complicate it.
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2. Please do not use logos or commercial images for your profile photo
3. Events should be posted in the events calendar
4. You can post pretty much anything you want on your own personal page (self promotion, etc), and you can change the style of your personal profile page to reflect your corporate identification if you so choose.
5. Please keep all comments civil and polite. It's OK to feel strongly about a subject, and it's OK to be critical of ideas, but please refrain from personal attacks of any kind.
If you witness or experience any issues, please contact admin@smallerindiana.com and we will look into the matter.
6. Smaller Indiana is supported by its members, and by corporate sponsors. If you're interested in learning more about sponsorship, please call Pat Coyle at 317 332 7878.
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