Opinion Article

Legal Age
 
Many teens look forward to the day when they turn 18 because in the eyes of the law, you are now considered a legal adult. At age 18 teens are allowed to vote, make their own medical decisions, enroll in the army, buy tobacco, gamble, and live independently aside from your parents. However, why is it that 18 year olds are not aloud to buy alcohol due to the fact they are not fully developed, but are able to enroll themselves in the army and risk their lives. I believe the legal age for adults should be moved up to 21 when teenaged are more mature and more developed. Teenagers are given a version of adulthood that exploits them. Society does not consider an 18 year old, old enough to drink, however, the military needs strong young minds, and the government needs tax payers.

Independence at 18 is very uncommon because most teens are still attending high school and still maintain in their amateur foolish behavior. Let's face it, high schoolers tend to get into some mischief trouble because they still aren't mature enough. For example, say if an 18 year old high school student makes one dumb mistake and gets caught, they would be charged as an adult which could distinguish any plans they had for their future. Statistics show that most homeless people were foster kids because they get kicked out of the foster program at age 18 and don't know what to do with their life still. This all shows the outcome of the immaturity level 18 year olds uphold, and giving them just that extra 3 years to grow and develop could make all the difference.