What is a child?

Question

I know that until you turn 18 you are considered a child but then why do a lot of public communities set the age of majority to 21? They let you drive at 16 but you're not mature enough to vote or drink. Or else you're mature enough to vote but not to drink?? For example the ice skating rink views people under 12 as children and people 21 and over are adults! I thought 18 was an adult!! What is up with this. Why cant they just set ONE age as adult?

Plus a lot of studies show that children stop growing at 22 or around that age, so shouldnt the definition of a child be someone who isnt done growing yet? Someone old enough to be responsible

Answer 1

13 to be legally able to sign something and be binded by it.
16 marry with judge and parent consent, licents, have seaxual intercourse with consent (and a ton of other laws)
17 (if you graduate with parent signature) to enlist in the military, legal to marry with parent consent.
18 to marry, devorce, have children, own just about anything, some clubs, accuire higher jobs, college, smoke, some hotels
21 bars, rental calls, alcohal, hotels, more clubs,
25 cap for many credit cards are removed/higher, rates are lower on them, car insurance lowered, a little respect
at least 30... some respect.

Point is, to someone you would always be a kid

Answer 2

All around the world, many cultures do not look at a person as an adult until 25, even in the US. You cannot do a lot of things here until you are 25, for example: rent a car, go on a cruise with the opposite sex unless you are married, or have a break on car insurance (for males). As for the drinking age, the human body and brain have fully developed at the age of 21-22. One who is responsible is purely relative like previously stated. I know 20 year olds who act like they're 16 and vice versa. It's all on how you look at it. Legally, however, I think you'll find that in general, people are not adults until 25.

Answer 3

18 use to be the benchmark by which child and adult were measured. You graduated highschool at 18. You got the right to vote. You were driving your first car and yes, you could drink too. All of this use to be the norm until it was proven that people at 18 were not mature enough to handle those responsibilities properly. Then they passed laws and changed the drinking age to 21. I agree that they use that term very loosely from restaurants to movie theaters etc. I tend to agree with your definition but they have to put a number on it!

Answer 4

The drinking age is set at 21 to keep alcohol out of high schools. The driving age is 16 (or lower in some rural areas) because many communities are set up so that you pretty much have to drive to get to work. During the Vietnam War the drinking age was lower in some places because it was thought a shame that an 18 year old could be drafted and killed, but not buy a beer. Post-draft, it drifted upwards again.

Answer 5

"Old enough to be responsible" is a relative term - some people are more responsible at 12 than they will be at 21. Age and maturity don't necessarily go hand in hand. The different ages of majority are designed to set expectations of behavior for the "norm".

Answer 6

Last child. But there's only 2 of us.

Answer 7

Actually, from what i've noticed is that a majority of the civilized world doesn't really consider you an adult until you turn 25. They still look at you as a child.

Answer 8

25 should be the magic number, either way that is when the insurance for automobiles goes down.

12 is heading to teenage years
18 is when you should be getting out of high school to the real world
21 is when your brain has fully developed and your fine to drink alcohol.
between 21-25 your still wondering who you are, so it should be 25.

Answer 9

Biologically a child is anyone btwn 0-8 years, otherwise a child is anyone younger than the person who compares himself with it or to whom it is compared.