In the US, legal adulthood is typically at 18, allowing for work, contracts, voting, marriage, sexual consent, and military enlistment, but not alcohol purchase. Emancipation is rare and does not grant voting rights. Parents may worry about young adults making life-changing decisions, but have little control. Foster children often struggle when they age out of the system at 18.
The age at which one is considered a legal adult in the United States is typically 18. What defines a legal adult is the ability to legally work, participate in contracts, vote, marry, give sexual consent, and enlist in the military. However, being a legal adult under 21 does not entitle you in most states to purchase alcohol.
The age at which one becomes a legal adult in the United States is largely the age at which most children are considered adults in the world. Some countries lower this age, but in most of the Western world, one is considered an adult at 18.
In some cases, a child under 18 is a legal adult primarily for the purposes of marriage or signing contracts, before the age of 18. This is rare and tends to occur if a minor sues his or her parents for emancipation. However, an emancipated child is still a “minor” and cannot vote until he or she turns 18.
For many parents, the term legal adult does not mean that their children possess certain adult characteristics. For example, being an adult involves being able to make mature decisions, participate in civic affairs, have self-control, and be responsible. Some 18-year-olds simply lack these characteristics and need more time to develop them. It concerns some parents that an 18-year-old may make life-changing decisions, like getting married early or joining the military, that may not have been made with significant foresight.
There is very little parents can do to remedy such a situation. Many regret that they no longer have any kind of control over their young legal adult children. Ironically, for the child, perhaps, is that this kind of control inherent in being an adult essentially means that a parent has no further legal responsibilities to care for you.
Even if a new legal adult is still in high school, a parent is not under legal pressure, often, to continue providing housing or care. Some exceptions to this rule have been proven, particularly in divorce cases where one spouse still requires child support or help with college payments. Some parents feel that ongoing financial support is a true testament to the fact that the child is not quite an adult yet, regardless of age.
The issue of legal adulthood is a very thorny one for foster children. At 18, they essentially age out of the system, and the state no longer has the burden to support them. In some cases, foster parents will continue to parent a child who is technically an adult. However, some children find themselves adrift when they most need the help and support of kind adults.
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