Currently, there is much discussion with regard to the link between age and responsibility. Although some believe that the age of maturity should start at least 21 years old when they know how to deal with the consequences of their actions. Others criticize this and argue that accountability does not depend on just age, and people who are only 18 years old can be adults. In this essay, I am going to examine this question from both points of view and then give my own opinion on the matter.
There are many reasons to support that 18 years old can be considered a mature person. Firstly, this age range may be assigned adult responsibilities unavoidably when they have younger members of the family. For example, in some families, seniors have to take care of their younger sister or brother, such as helping to teach homework while parents work outside. In addition, most of university students who are under 21 years old do not want to stay with their family since they need freedom. According to an Adult Analysis report, young people who choose to live alone outside tend to grow up rapidly by more than 30% compared with older people. This is because they do everything by themselves, whether it be managing living costs per month or solving problems without assistance, which are activities for the maturity stage.
However, most people argue that age 21 or more is suitable for a post-adolescence stage. The main reason is that this age has a range of experiences and lessons learned from their mistake in the past. In addition, they have more stable emotions than younger people. An illustration of this is the number of car accidents that usually occur in 18 year old drivers as they lack judgment.
Based on the considerations given above, both sides of the argument have their merits. Nevertheless, I am inclined to believe that age is not the only factor to define that older people are more responsible than younger, it depends on individual background, so adulthood can begin at 18 years old.