Does turning 18 really mean that you’re an adult?
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.