Why is 18 considered legal

Serve in the military? Buy a beer? And at what age is a person really ready to handle these responsibilities? At 15, one Charles Algernon Parsons was busy inventing the precursor to the modern automobile.

Unsurprisingly, for parts of history, the issue of when someone was ready to take over various adult activities largely fell to their family to decide. Nevertheless, while maturity levels vary greatly from person to person and the people who know the individual best may be better able to determine things for everyday activities, a number that generally fits everyone is often needed to set certain communal laws.

Thus, the age when a person is considered sufficiently able to manage these adult activities, and answer for others, is typically set by civil policy makers within a nation, and in certain cases, sometimes by each individual state within a country.

For example, in California the age of consent is set at 18, a number largely proliferated by Hollywood and thus often considered the set age of consent in the United States. However, most states actually set it lower , and in many cases without restriction on age gap between the individuals after that cutoff; the important thing is simply consent. As for a general age most developed countries of the world consider someone an adult, this is usually somewhat arbitrarily set at Speaking from a religious standpoint, historically 13 for males and 12 for females was considered the age of majority in Judaism- essentially aligning with when most in said genders would have become reproductively mature.

Similar to the earlier onset of puberty, the female brain typically finishes its development about two years before the male. Speaking of this, Neuroscientist Dr. Sandra Aamodt, notes,. One of the side effects of these changes in the reward system is that adolescents and young adults become much more sensitive to peer pressure than they were earlier or will be as adults.

This is likely why few have any problem with setting the number at something like 18 or As for how that specific number was reached… mostly arbitrarily. For instance, the United States has long borrowed its original age of majority from British common law, which was set at To quote:. By the common law the age of majority is fixed at twenty-one years for both sexes, and, in the absence of any statute to the contrary, every person under that age, whether male or female, is an infant.

One claim is that this derived from when squires could become knights. On top of that, there are certainly many known exceptions where individuals were considered knights before this age. It would seem more likely that this was simply the age around which it was generally observed that people started to reach sufficient enough mental maturity to no longer need any type of direct supervision. For instance, historically teenagers could, and sometimes were, members of British Parliament, and even exceptionally young children around kindergarten age today could sign contracts that were legally binding, such as contracts that compelled them to work for some individual or business even into adulthood.

Children could also be executed or face other extremely serious consequences for crimes they committed. After the initial adoption of 21 years old in the United States, the age of majority waffled over the decades, varying from activity to activity and state to state. For instance, on a national level, prior to , the voting age was still 21, but then was lowered to age 18 by the 26th Amendment. What spurred a change and why 18?

As for why the age was changed at all, the reasons behind this include massive improvements in public education since the 21 number was originally set, recognition that 18 year olds were able to enter into legally binding contracts, get married, have children, and could even be forcibly drafted. This latter point was critical to the change as 18 year old males at this time could be forced to fight in a war, but had no say in whether their country went to war in the first place.

This was a particularly hot topic in the Vietnam War era where many youth strongly opposed the war and those politicians who felt likewise were keen on getting those young people the ability to vote. Teens who have plenty of life skills often feel ready to move out of the home and begin the next chapter. But those who experience a lot of self-doubt may regress a bit as they think about entering the next phase of their lives.

By age 18, both boys and girls have physically matured. Parenting Tip. Drinking alcohol at this age could affect his brain development. Eighteen-year-olds are beginning to figure out where they will fit into the adult world. It is a time for big changes that comes with a lot of freedom and happiness, along with feelings of nostalgia and apprehension.

Most year-olds are more comfortable seeking advice from older people and their parents again. They have much better control over their emotions by this age. And most year-olds are equipped to deal with a wide variety of emotions. The fear of the future—as well as the fear of failure —can still be problems, however. Some year-olds will begin to resolve these issues successfully, while others will continue to struggle well into their adult lives.

Most year-olds have had intimate relationships. They have a better understanding and awareness of their sexuality at this age. Peer groups have less of a pull on year-olds. Many of them take strong stances on social issues.

This serves them well as they are forming new friendships and intimate relationships. 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. The age of legal majority is separate from legal age of license. A legal age of license is the minimum age a person must reach in order to legally to participate in certain activities, such as drinking alcohol , voting, or driving. Legal ages of license vary by the activity and the jurisdiction , and can, but do not have to, match the age of legal majority. Please help us improve our site!

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