Background Info

Life has plenty of milestones, which we all tend to experience in different ways and at different
times. But one milestone arrives like clockwork: your 18th birthday. In most of the world, this
marks the beginning of adulthood—or does it? Although turning 18 makes most people into legal
adults, should you really consider yourself an adult at that age?

Of course, in the eyes of the law, 18-year-olds are adults. At that age, you gain the freedom to live
your life on your own. This includes taking legal responsibility for your actions. For instance, you
can enter into contracts for things like loans and housing. It also means that when you violate the
law, you don’t get any breaks. You can also make decisions that strongly impact other people, like
raising a child on your own, not to mention voting! That all sounds pretty grown-up, doesn’t it?

But not so fast. Some would say that while 18-year-olds have expanded legal rights and
responsibilities, this doesn’t make them adults. For starters, your brain continues to mature until
about the age of 25. At 18, the part of your brain that controls impulses, emotions, behaviors, and
problem-solving is only halfway developed! Plus, most people have very little life experience when
they’re 18. They need the freedom they gain at that age to finally start exploring the world and
learning valuable life lessons on their own.

While the law considers 18-year-olds to be adults, is that enough? Or do these legal adults still have
a lot of growing up to do? There’s no age limit for adding your thoughts to this discussion!