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Currently legal adulthood federally is skewed, with an individual being defined as a minor if they are under 18 thus an adult when over 18. However there are a few potential issues with this law. First and foremost is the inconsistency of its application on a federal level, with the term "minor" still being used with regards to individuals under 21 for alcohol but being a legally seperate term from the status of a "minor" with regards to adult status. Second, is whether or not with todays culture 18 is still a reasonable age to determine an individual as an "adult".
Some argue that with the high exposure to information that children recieve from a very young age in this country that they are able to grasp the nuances of life quicker and as such mature at a quicker pace. That individuals who are 16 years of age are just as reasoanbly able to make mature and adult choices regarding their life as those who were a 18 decades ago, due to a better grasp of the world through the immersion into more information.
On the flip side, others argue that our society is so lavish at this point that many people do not face the challenges or the struggles needed to properly mature by the time they're 18. They point to college life essentially becoming high school part 2, with many college students being immature and college institutions essentially creating a "home-like" support structure rather than somethign mimicking the real world. Thus in reality children today don't really begin moving into a stage of true adulthood in a mature sense till their early 20's.
This is a far reaching matter. Access to certain items (Such as cigerettes), entrance into the military and potential for the draft, the ability to vote, etc are all related to the federal definition of adulthood. What is your thoughts? Under the law, should we change the definition of a minor and adult in some way to either lower it or raise it? For the sake of this conversation and attempting NOT to turn this into a pedophile issue, lets cap the "lowering" it to 16 years of age at most since that is the lowest any individual state within the US has it set at.
Some argue that with the high exposure to information that children recieve from a very young age in this country that they are able to grasp the nuances of life quicker and as such mature at a quicker pace. That individuals who are 16 years of age are just as reasoanbly able to make mature and adult choices regarding their life as those who were a 18 decades ago, due to a better grasp of the world through the immersion into more information.
On the flip side, others argue that our society is so lavish at this point that many people do not face the challenges or the struggles needed to properly mature by the time they're 18. They point to college life essentially becoming high school part 2, with many college students being immature and college institutions essentially creating a "home-like" support structure rather than somethign mimicking the real world. Thus in reality children today don't really begin moving into a stage of true adulthood in a mature sense till their early 20's.
This is a far reaching matter. Access to certain items (Such as cigerettes), entrance into the military and potential for the draft, the ability to vote, etc are all related to the federal definition of adulthood. What is your thoughts? Under the law, should we change the definition of a minor and adult in some way to either lower it or raise it? For the sake of this conversation and attempting NOT to turn this into a pedophile issue, lets cap the "lowering" it to 16 years of age at most since that is the lowest any individual state within the US has it set at.