Age Restrictions
- Thread starter Jace1709
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Ok, I want to correct the US numbers. This is just an FYI and future reference thingJace1709 said:
Legal age of Marriage: 18 (19 in Nebraska) to do it on your own. Beyond that ages vary when parental and/or judicial consent is require (as low as 12 in Massachusetts!). More info at <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriageable_age#North_America>Wikipedia.
Age of consent: 16+
Age to drive a car: The average seems to be 16 but it is as low as 14 for states like South Dakota.
Military: 18, period.
I hope I cleared things up for you. Again, this is meant to be informative, not condescending.
Because you are only thinking about mental/emotional maturity. Physical maturity plays the bigger role in this. Your brain is actually still developing until you are 25; it slows down when you enter your 20s. Alcohol has a huge detrimental effect on a developing brain, hence the legal age to drink alcohol is 21 rather than 16-18.Jace1709 said:
You will be please to know that teen pregnancy is the lowest it has been in over 70 years!Flailing Escapist said:
The government has the right to regulate sale of a substance that can debilitate a community if misused. It cannot however, tell you whether or not you are allowed to raise your own child (unless you have committed a crime or can be proved to be an unsuitable parent). The right of parenthood is one of the most powerful freedoms Americans posses.Jace1709 said:
Funny things really, I'm bordering becoming 18 (British) and I can drive,have sex (I wish..) and join the army.. Yet those corporate bastards in the bus companies made me pay for adult tickets since being 14 and the airline companies put me by the emergency exit because I'm old enough to be in charge in the event of a crash.. its a strange little world..
I'm pretty sure the order for these in France is
- sex (age of "sexual majority" is 15)
- driving (learner) at 16
- driving (full license), voting, getting married and buying liquor at 18
However, the alcohol thing is just for buying it. There is no minimum age for alcohol consumption. It's just illegal to sell alcohol to a minor unless their parents are right there.
It's not that well enforced though. When I worked in McDonald's, if someone ordered beer as their drink and looked like they were 16 or more we just honored the order. I've never been asked for ID when buying alcohol either and it's sold in regular grocery stores, with liquor in its own section and "lesser" drinks (cider, beer) in the same isle as juice. (In Canada where I've lived too, alcohol is only sold in alcohol stores).
Note that for the first point I didn't say "age of consent" because there are two different crimes here, depending on consent. The age of consent is in practice 12 or so, meaning that under that age it will be considered rape either way, but having sex with someone aged between 12 and 15 is a crime and punished with prison either way, but with a less heavy penalty if consent is established.
That law has always seemed weird to me. It's basically saying "we state that anyone older than 12 is old enough to give their consent. However it's still a crime to have sex with them when they consent if they're less than 15." It's kind of a weird double standard.
Anyways, I agree that alcohol isn't something that requires you to be 21. I had alcohol every so often as a kid in family meals, for instance I always had champagne (a sip) at Christmas for as long as I remember, and cider in February for Chandeleur (a glass, doux).
To this day I'm not a drinker, I wouldn't say I even have a glass a year, and I've never binge drunk either. I think it's good to learn about alcohol with your family because then it's just a normal food (well, drink) and not an act of rebellion or something. Plus in small quantities several alcoholic drinks have been shows to be good for you.
I also think it's good to be familiar with the dangers of alcohol and know to limit yourself and how much you can take before you start driving. I mean, this way when you start driving you already know how not to abuse alcohol, while otherwise if you start drinking while you already drive, you're more likely to have a bit too much alcohol and drink and drive (people don't realise how fast your reflexes go away, even if you're not drunk).
I think it reflects the different cultures well though. You can drive earlier in places where having a car is more important and more useful. You can drink earlier in places where alcohol is more part of the culture.
- sex (age of "sexual majority" is 15)
- driving (learner) at 16
- driving (full license), voting, getting married and buying liquor at 18
However, the alcohol thing is just for buying it. There is no minimum age for alcohol consumption. It's just illegal to sell alcohol to a minor unless their parents are right there.
It's not that well enforced though. When I worked in McDonald's, if someone ordered beer as their drink and looked like they were 16 or more we just honored the order. I've never been asked for ID when buying alcohol either and it's sold in regular grocery stores, with liquor in its own section and "lesser" drinks (cider, beer) in the same isle as juice. (In Canada where I've lived too, alcohol is only sold in alcohol stores).
Note that for the first point I didn't say "age of consent" because there are two different crimes here, depending on consent. The age of consent is in practice 12 or so, meaning that under that age it will be considered rape either way, but having sex with someone aged between 12 and 15 is a crime and punished with prison either way, but with a less heavy penalty if consent is established.
That law has always seemed weird to me. It's basically saying "we state that anyone older than 12 is old enough to give their consent. However it's still a crime to have sex with them when they consent if they're less than 15." It's kind of a weird double standard.
Anyways, I agree that alcohol isn't something that requires you to be 21. I had alcohol every so often as a kid in family meals, for instance I always had champagne (a sip) at Christmas for as long as I remember, and cider in February for Chandeleur (a glass, doux).
To this day I'm not a drinker, I wouldn't say I even have a glass a year, and I've never binge drunk either. I think it's good to learn about alcohol with your family because then it's just a normal food (well, drink) and not an act of rebellion or something. Plus in small quantities several alcoholic drinks have been shows to be good for you.
I also think it's good to be familiar with the dangers of alcohol and know to limit yourself and how much you can take before you start driving. I mean, this way when you start driving you already know how not to abuse alcohol, while otherwise if you start drinking while you already drive, you're more likely to have a bit too much alcohol and drink and drive (people don't realise how fast your reflexes go away, even if you're not drunk).
I think it reflects the different cultures well though. You can drive earlier in places where having a car is more important and more useful. You can drink earlier in places where alcohol is more part of the culture.
And perhaps the most often abused.Fappy said:
OT: Three years does seem to be taking the piss a little bit. I was speaking to an American friend of mine and asked if they had any student bars around where she lived. The term was completely unfamiliar to her. I'd forgotten that you can complete university without being legally able to drink, hence making student bars kind of pointless. What a thought.
And I understand that this is a bit daft, but I'm on holiday in these United States and while I'm now allowed to drink in this country, at 19 or 20 I wasn't, despite being able to drink for years at home. So my point is; if I've demonstrated the capability to drink, what's the problem?
It's actually 19 in my province (and in most).Thumper17 said:
Anyway, I guess it's because it's just too easy to make a mistake when drinking (drinking too much, for example). Instead of making the legal age less, perhaps the age to - for example - join the army should be heightened.
When I look at all the evil alcohol causes, I can't consider lowering the age to be a good thing.
Because the abstract standard of age to decided maturity is the best system to decide the people being responsible that exists.
Most of these regulations are just old habits and expectations of the current adults who are in charge. Humans are mostly habitual and lazy creatures, can you really expect to have a unique set of rules for every person that exists, everywhere at every point in time? This is why things will never change.. ever. The obvious counter-point is for new things that have never been encountered before, for these we'll *finger quotes* adapt *finger quotes* until they have found thier resting place. Gaming is a prime example for the last sentence.
Really though.. these laws have never stopped anyone before. You can't have a fancy Ender's Game monitor on everybody. Have you watched That 70's Show? I know it's a tv show, but it's based on something. Our parents or even ourselves can vouch for that.
edit: that not the >.<
Really though.. these laws have never stopped anyone before. You can't have a fancy Ender's Game monitor on everybody. Have you watched That 70's Show? I know it's a tv show, but it's based on something. Our parents or even ourselves can vouch for that.
edit: that not the >.<
ummm...
Last I checked anyways, here in the U.S. we're allowed to drink at 16 if an adult is present within our own home, 18 without an adult within our own home, its just illegal to drink at a bar and buy liquor until your 21.
So, that might lessen the arguement a bit. not sure *shrug* It's like how you can technically smoke when you're 16, just aren't allowed to buy em till your 18
Last I checked anyways, here in the U.S. we're allowed to drink at 16 if an adult is present within our own home, 18 without an adult within our own home, its just illegal to drink at a bar and buy liquor until your 21.
So, that might lessen the arguement a bit. not sure *shrug* It's like how you can technically smoke when you're 16, just aren't allowed to buy em till your 18
in california im pretty sure these are right sex 18 marrige 18(or earlier with parental consent) cigerettes 18(or 16 with parental consent, parent has to be with you) provisoinal lisence 16 full at 17-18, drinking 21 (or earlier with parental consent, parent has to be with you.)
With parental consent. I am not sure that counts toward what OP is getting at though.Berethond said:
When was the last time you checked? Within the passed year or two they made providing alcohol to minors (anyone <21) a felony(at least in my state). I know some states allow drinking for religious reasons.Kakashi on crack said:
Edit: ok, I found it. This is why I am thoroughly confused. My state doesn't have any of those exceptions. <a href=http://drinkingage.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=002591>Here is the list of them.
Here in Holland the age limit for sex is 16. The legal age for drinking low percentage beverages (<15%) is 16 and 18 for anything stronger then that. Car driving is 18 but you can start with it at the age of 17 you just have to be 18 for your final exam. Our local "coffeeshops" also have an age limit of 18+.
I find age limits for sex a bit ridiculous (Upto a certain point). Maturity isnt devined by age. I know 20 year olds that act like 12 year old kids and vice versa.
I find age limits for sex a bit ridiculous (Upto a certain point). Maturity isnt devined by age. I know 20 year olds that act like 12 year old kids and vice versa.