When do we really grow up?
At what age do we become adults? Many people assume it’s 18. It's an age when many leave home for university and also when we can vote in elections the UK.
But new guidance for psychologists in the UK says that adolescence - the time when we change from being a child to an adult - now lasts until the age of 25. Does this mean we are growing up later, or are there other factors?
Neil and Finn discuss this subject in 6 Minute English and look at some of the language of growing up.
This week's question:
What is the youngest age a man can legally marry in Bangladesh? Is it:
a) 15
b) 18
c) 21
Listen to the programme to find out the answer.
Listen
When does adulthood start?
Vocabulary
- adulthood
the period of life when you are an adult
- stand on your own two feet
be independent; look after yourself
- maturity
behaving and thinking like a grown up
- adolescence
period in your life when you change from being a child to an adult
- psychologists
person who studies the human mind, their emotions and behaviour
- hormones
chemicals in the body that influence the development, growth and sex of an animal
- formative years
period of time when someone develops their character and beliefs
- social death
- mollycoddling
over protecting or doing too much for someone
- juvenile
young person but not yet considered an adult