Why is the age of majority accepted as 18?

Before which of us comes of age? “What would I do if I were 18!” thinking dreaming of even the simplest things We were not happy… Moreover, in some countries, this age can be as low as 14 or as high as 21.

So, what is the age we call “adulthood age” or “age of majority”? who or what factors decides? Let’s look at the answer to this question together.

When we turn 18 in Turkey, we overcome many obstacles, especially socially.

According to Turkish laws, when we reach the age of 18; Now from childhood We are considered to have come out and we can buy products such as tobacco/alcohol, we can vote, we appear as an adult before the judiciary and are punished accordingly, we can get a driver’s license, we are allowed to enter certain places…

We can extend this list, but what we really wonder is why? The age when we can do all these things Is it considered 18?

If we look at it psychologically:

In Turkey, when we reach the age of 18, it is assumed that our emotional and mental development has reached the “adulthood” level. Now; problem solving, We have the ability to make healthy decisions without asking others and to take responsibilities on our own.

Of course for every person All these factors cannot apply at the same time. Someone who has reached the age of 18 can make decisions at the level of a 13-year-old, while another person may be as developed as a 30-year-old adult.

It is accepted that we have completed our development physiologically.

As for physiology, when we reach the age of 18, our body is considered to have reached the adult body. At this age, when it is said that our growth period is over, a healthy person sex hormones also reaches a certain level.

However, as we mentioned in psychological adulthood, physiological adulthood is not the same in everyone. Research shows that adolescence can now continue into the late 20s and our brain development It shows it takes up to 25. This situation may even vary between genders. For example, women’s brain development is completed 2 years before men.

In short, when we turn 18, we are assumed to have the characteristics of adulthood in many ways.

A one-size-fits-all number is often needed to determine certain social laws. Therefore, the age at which a person is considered adequately equipped to manage these adult activities is civilian policy makers is determined by.

Although it is not exactly ideal in every case, a number is chosen for certain official purposes and in Turkey it is no longer psychologically, physiologically and socially We stop carrying the characteristics of childhood It is accepted that the period corresponds to the age of 18.

Ages of consent may vary in different countries.

While many obstacles in front of us disappear when we turn 18 in Turkey, this is not the case in other countries. with the same or a single age It is not limited. In addition to the age limit varying from country to country, different ages can be determined for different situations.

To give an example from America, in different states Even the age limit may vary. For example, while the limit for purchasing alcohol is 21 years of age, they can get a driver’s license at the age of 16, 17 or 18, depending on the state they live in. In addition, the age of sexual consent (maturity) may vary from state to state as 16, 17, or 18.

According to the OECD, some countries’ ages of “majority”, “criminal responsibility”, “marriage”, “leaving school”, “employment”, purchasing and drinking alcohol”, “sexual consent”:

• Leaving school and getting a job:

• Purchasing and drinking alcohol: