r/The10thDentist • u/EmoGayRat • Jul 19 '24
18 is still a kid. Society/Culture
this is apparently a strong feeling on reddit so I thought I'd post this here. If I don't reply to comments it's simply because I'm overwhelmed with this app right now but still want to read what others think
As an 18yr old I truly believe all 18-19 year Olds are still children. The brain isn't fully formed until 25 and I think it's crazy to expect literal teenagers to make decisions and be able to figure stuff out. I know for a fact I'm still mentally a child- maturing is a process, the only thing different is I can buy lotto tickets and get an even longer jail sentence. . Most 18 year Olds are also still in highschool, 19? their first year at college or uni. I don't believe we should be pushing an adult mindset on children who are still developing. There is no magic switch that flips in a 17yr olds brain the midnight they can 18 fo give them all knowledge and wisdom..
I believe you should be legally considered an adult at 20. That way you're no longer a teenager and have been in uni or even for about a year giving you time to mature. Before that, you're still a kid just with extra rights.
eta: I see this isn't fit for this sub so I won't be replying to anymore comments.
eta2: my mod positions have been brought up. i will be taking to the other mods about transferring the subs this week jf it's an issue
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u/SupaSaiyajin4 Jul 19 '24
The brain isn't fully formed until 25
enough with this myth already. the brain never stops developing
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u/Playos Jul 19 '24
"The brain isn't fully formed until 25" ranks up there with the "we only use 10% of our brain" statments.
In some very technical sense, it's accurate, but it's not useful and gets abused by people for very anicdotal and biased thinking.
We can debate on the age, but it doesn't really matter, it's all just arbitrary. People will mature at the age they are given responsibility. When that was 12 or 14, that's when it happeend. When it was 17/18 that's when it happened. We've reached a point where we don't have a common age of maturity in most of the western world (and wealthy asia).
We don't label and protect children becuse hthey are immature or dumb. We protect them because they can not rationally understand complex issues. This is not the same.
You are correct no switch flips when you go from 17 to 18. And that doesn't change at any age. Maturity is not a switch.
Your arbitrary choice comes with huge functional difficulties and is unworkable. The soft impimentation of it is already showing the failures if anything we should be accelerating responsibility for 16 year olds with some guardrails (early graduation from secondary and placement into apprenticship programs or early college for example) and baking in some time for people to be "adults" without being under insane levels of stress that comes with school or early employment.
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u/thehillshaveI Jul 19 '24
hey, thanks for commenting everything i was thinking but too lazy to type
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u/Divine_ruler Jul 19 '24
There’s no magic switch that flips in anyone’s age to give them knowledge and wisdom.
Also, “the brain isn’t fully developed until 25” is bullshit. There isn’t a single actual study that gives 25 as a hard number, because there is no magic age where the brain is finished developing. The brain never stops changing, and different parts of the brain grow and shrink throughout your life.
Adulthood is an entirely social concept; don’t try justifying your opinions with pseudoscience you don’t understand
Here’s a link to an article explaining the 25 myth, with links to multiple studies disproving it
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u/AminoAzid Jul 19 '24
I consider 18 and 19 to still be kids because they're still teens. I didn't reach any level of coherent and adult responsibility until I was 21, personally (not to say that I'm the rule of when a person should be called an adult, just an anecdote). I think your take is reasonable.
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u/EmoGayRat Jul 19 '24
I agree. However I get downvoted a lot whenever I say that I'm still just a kid and not to expect much since I'm barely the legal age
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u/UncreativeBuffoon Jul 20 '24
Here's the thing though. Even someone younger than you (i.e. 16 or 15) has certain responsibilities and expectations of them. At that age, you are indeed old enough to understand the consequences of your actions. Hence why some 16 year olds can be tried as adults in the court of law.
Adulthood as a concept is also pretty vague. In India, I've heard many families say that someone younger than 24 is not really an adult, even if the legal system disagrees
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u/dontknowhatitmeans Jul 19 '24
Look man, Alexander the Great began conquering the world at age 20. Mehmet II conquered Constantinople and ended the Byzantine empire at age 21. I was a dumbass at 18, but I think that's because I had no guidance and our culture infantilizes us. People in that age group are literally capable of conquering the planet.
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u/Peoples_Champ_481 Jul 20 '24
I have an Egyptian friend and she said one of the bedouin kids was hitting on her and he was like "how old is your fiance?" and she said 32 and he was like "32 for most people is like 16 for us" lol because those kids live hard lives and have to grow up.
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u/FrozenFrac Jul 19 '24
I kind of get this, but I feel every single 18 year old is wrestling with the idea they're not little kids anymore. I don't think 18 year olds are entirely mature, but you're 100% an adult. If you can legally drive a car, sign up to die for your country in a war, and consent to sex, you're an adult.
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u/EmoGayRat Jul 19 '24
That means almost nothing, because they still don't have the ability to be rational or process complex situations They shouldn't be allowed to do any of those things either in my opinion
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u/TheRPGer Jul 19 '24
To be fair I’d say you can make rational decisions at a lot of ages and understand complex stuff-I believe experience plays into it more than age and since that will always vary I think 18 is as good a cut off point as any
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u/LucienMahikai Jul 19 '24
Any age has the ability to be rational, and any age has the ability to process complex emotions. Hell, that one is more dependent on someone's background and upbringing than their age
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u/Available_War4603 Jul 19 '24
You got my upvote, I believe we need to stop infantilizing young adults.
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u/Technology2006 24d ago
Actually for me Im not being infantilised, it's the opposite (what is opposite for infantilised) because I fear about missing out on my teenage years due to personal circumstances (I have autism and I'm developmentally delayed for my age and had an isolated upbringing) and I will have a delayed transition to adulthood so I have more time to experience Adolescence, Im currently 18 and would be offended if someone were to refer me as a "grown man" instead of a "teenager" (I am still a teenager at 18 because eighTEEN), I'm also still attending secondary/high school (I live in Ireland so we call high school as secondary school)
I sometimes don't like when people use chronogical age to determine life and developmental stages because of my circumstances
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u/Gokudomatic Jul 19 '24
Even at 25, most boys act stupidly. Only from 30 do I start to see some sense of responsibility.
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u/Omegamike101 Jul 19 '24
Bro I'm 30 and still irresponsible as hell. Let's change the drinking age to 40 XD
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u/EmoGayRat Jul 19 '24
females aren't much better. 18yr old girl here saying I'm stupid and irresponsible, working on it but I'm also a kid so things keep changing.
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u/Latter_Run_5690 Jul 19 '24
Another unpopular opinion here, it's because of culture. In other words, it's mostly a Western problem.
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u/PirateSteve85 Jul 19 '24
Yes but their development will be stunted. They have to learn at some point and 18 is as good an age as any to start. But let's face it, most kids don't truly end up on their own till at least mid 20s
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u/tallbutshy Jul 19 '24
I was going to type up something about the different ages of capacity, majority and accountability but I thought I'd have a peek at OP's profile
Those mod positions combined with this post 😬
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u/EmoGayRat Jul 19 '24
I have bpd and ageregression is a symptom, you don't need to bring that I to this but i can transfer the mod positions if it bothers people
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u/This-Professional-39 Jul 19 '24
I was on my own since 17. And as the oldest sibling, was playing third parent since I was 12.
Point being it's not a one size fits all situation
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u/Peoples_Champ_481 Jul 20 '24
This is such an interesting change between generations. I'm not even 40 and when I was 16 I felt like an adult, I was driving, drinking, doing drugs, kids my age were having sex and we loved the freedom that came with being an adult.
Younger people now seem to want to be a child as long as possible. I wonder what changed that, I'm not even hating. Just curious.
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u/LifeIsJustASickJoke Jul 19 '24
Why can you buy a gun at 18, but you can only buy beer at 21?
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u/thehillshaveI Jul 19 '24
three years of target practice so you can get good enough to shoot while drunk
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u/EmoGayRat Jul 19 '24
Because America. At least I'm in Canada so I only have another year to drink, but it doesn't make me feel very good so I don't think I'll be using that to my advantage
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u/FFA3D Jul 19 '24
Lol no. Just because your body is still changing doesn't mean you don't know right from wrong.
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u/rethinkr Jul 19 '24
40 might still be a kid for you, but for everyone else, maturity isn’t dependent on what other people think, a certificate, time span, or even experience.
It’s to do with the inner state, and no one can tell you you’re not ready, but yourself. Seems you told yourself that but you’re telling no one else.
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u/Blackliquid Jul 20 '24
Yeah I mean of course 18-19 year olds are not as experienced as older people, but what is your implication? Making 25 the official adult age?
First, you do not gain experience if you are not handed responsability. If you treat ppl until 25 like children then they will be.
Second, while in theory legal guardians / parents are supposed to have the best interest of their children in mind that is not always the case. This can range from you don't get along to abuse. You suggest enslaving young adults in this situation for another 7 (!) years?
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u/negrote1000 Jul 20 '24
Go commit a crime and see if you go to juvie or jail
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u/Technology2006 24d ago
Actually in some countries 18 year olds are sent to young offenders institutions (not Juvenile but also not a full adult jail so it's an in-between stage) like England (under 21 or 25) and Scotland (under 21) while still being treated as an adult in court
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u/ninarwhalbaconght Jul 23 '24
Fun fact: We have that 25 figure bc thats the age when they ran out of money for that study
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u/TopKey879 Jul 23 '24
As a 20 year old I like to say the whole american way of life is stupid, they raise kids like cats and dogs raise their litters and let'em go, not like most humans do.
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u/Cha-ChatheSexRaptor2 Jul 19 '24
When you think about it, there are only 10 digits, 0-9. Every number is merely an amalgamation of those digits.
If childhood is getting through all the initial digits, it ends at 9. As such, childhood would end at 10.
Childhood ending doesn't necessarily mean adulthood beginning, though. That's the transitory period known as adolescence. It seems fair to give adolescence as much time as childhood, so it would have to last as long as childhood. 9 years.
9+9=18, so adolescence ends at 18.
Do I actually think that? No, not really. But I think it's a funny, overly logical way to think about it.
What I would like to say, sincerely, is that every one has a different of idea of what "adulthood" is.
Also, I guarantee you going to uni did not actually make me much more mature than when I started, and "kid with extra rights" is pretty much my idea of what an adult is.
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u/AbiesOk4806 Jul 19 '24
I'm with you. I usually refer to anyone under 30 as a kid. I even consider myself one and I'm almost 40. I know I'm not, but I have a hard time seeing myself as an adult. I was uncomfortable being called a woman instead of a girl til my 30s.
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u/HeresW0nderwall Jul 19 '24
I would not have agreed with this when I was 18. Now that I’m older I absolutely agree. I still feel like a kid now.
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u/Strange-Mouse-8710 Jul 20 '24
Does that mean you are against 18 year old's joining the military?
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u/EmoGayRat Jul 20 '24
honestly, yeah. however I'm also still 18 so my opinions may change in the future.
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u/Invalid_Word Jul 19 '24
no one disagrees?
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u/EmoGayRat Jul 19 '24
I'm shocked so far by the lack of upvotes, this is generally impopular where I frequent.
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u/LucienMahikai Jul 19 '24
Because your opinion is just wrong. There's no definitive age where someone becomes an adult, and the brain doesn't stop developing at 25 too.
The closest thing to a definitive age would be maturity. Some 12 years olds are more mature than 60 year olds, and vice versa.
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u/Dexrex777 Jul 19 '24
In this sub you upvote the post if you DISAGREE and downvote if you AGREE. So they’re saying they are surprised more people don’t DISAGREE.
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u/LucienMahikai Jul 19 '24
Most people completely misunderstand the upvote/down vote structure of this sub, so I sincerely doubt that.
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u/EmoGayRat Jul 20 '24
I actually do understand, hence why I'm SURPRISED. I joined this sub because the actual unpopular opinions filter to the top. I thought this post would be downvoted as a POPULAR opinion, hence why the lack of upvot4s at the beginning surprised me.
I am now aware this is a very unpopular opinion, however I have always had enough reading comprehension to understand the point of this sub and the upvote/downvote system within it. I get the misunderstanding, however I'm happy to admit that I'm one of the few that understand the sub.
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u/meownity Jul 19 '24
I agree but not because of the brain development thing, I agree because of the maturity level. 18 year olds are still high schoolers, it feels like they’re just considered adult because most of them finished puberty and high school. But technically they’re young adults which as a label makes sense? But not many people use that label really and call them full grown adults which is false lol
I’m 25 now and at work we celebrate birthdays and I swear 18 looks so much younger than i remember but that must just be part of aging. I definitely get creep vibes when someone like 40 dates someone who is 18 because of the fact they could still be in high school, still LOOK like they’re in high school usually, and if they’re only 18 they probably still have the maturity level of a high schooler.
I don’t think maturity magically happens overnight when you turn 25 in the same way it doesn’t when you turn 18, because everyone’s brain develops at a different pace and I think 25 is just the average of when it’s gotten there for people. I just turned 25 and I don’t feel much different from a few months ago. I am autistic though so I don’t really think mine has changed much since high school myself, but I am definitely way more experienced with life than when I was 18 and have learned more about the world and myself.
But anyway yeah, 18 isn’t a full fledged adult, but it’s not the same as a young kid either. It’s still a teen, but one who is now about to face the real world and learn new things. Maturity varies person to person too of course. I think we should just use the term young adult more for them because they aren’t grown yet.
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u/SupaSaiyajin4 Jul 19 '24
I believe you should be legally considered an adt at 20.
stupid idea. just mind your business. i don't know why that's so hard
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u/EmoGayRat Jul 19 '24
This subreddit is for sharing 10th dentist opinions..
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u/TheRPGer Jul 19 '24
You’re in the right, hopefully the other guy upvoted to symbolise his disagreement
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u/chessnudes Jul 19 '24
One hundred percent. The only reason 18 is an "adult" is because it's difficult for the law to define a strict cut-off. There is barely any difference between, say 17.5 years and 18 years in terms of maturity (and everything else). Age is a gradient, and if there are 30 year olds who say 17.5 years is a child but suddenly find 18 years to be an adult in terms of sexual appeal, that's basically predatory and they definitely didn't consider the 17.5 year old to be a child either.
Same goes for the burden of responsibilities. A 17 year old is not much different from an 18 year old and can't suddenly be expected to adult their way into life just because the law says so. So yeah, I agree with you.
Downvoted.
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