Halloween is a fun night for many families. However, people are arguing on whether or not you can ever become “too old” for Halloween. While some are saying that Halloween is a holiday that makes kids the priority, others say that teens and young adults can also enjoy this night. In my opinion, people can never become too old for Halloween.
Halloween can be enjoyed by people of all ages. According to Time, “Most teenagers stop dressing up and trick-or-treating…but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad manners for them to go door-to-door.” As long as teenagers aren’t causing the neighborhood any trouble, they can do whatever they want on Halloween night. Not many teenagers will bully little kids or take all their candy nowadays, . According to Alpha Mom, “There are far worse things for teenagers to be involved in than trick-or-treating. If they want to hold on to this childhood tradition, why not? Soon enough they will be full-fledged adults. Adulthood is forever.” Teenagers are still kids, and they have the right to play and have fun before it’s “too late”. Thus, it is absolutely fine for people of all ages to do a tradition every Halloween night.
On the other hand, some critics argue that Halloween is a holiday for kids to have fun and collect candy, not teenagers. Though many of the critics think that trick-or-treating is not appropriate for teenagers and older children, there is nothing wrong with spending time with friends and collecting free candy. Several states such as Virginia have made laws to forbid children over a certain age to trick or treat, according to qz.com. “City officials recently announced that doorbell-ringing candy seekers over the age of 12 could face a misdemeanor charge, up to six months in jail, and $25 to $100 fines”, they say, and in Canada, some towns do not allow children over the age of 16 to go trick or treating. This is because officials want to reduce the amount of vandalism and playing pranks. Quartz states, “The age limits, along with measures like curfews, are part of a broader push to limit pranks and vandalism.” Vandalism and playing disrespectful pranks is an issue in our society, and critics argue that preventing teens from trick-or-treating can help reduce the significance of that issue.
In my opinion, people can never become “too old” for Halloween. Kids and adults should get to spend time going around community and collecting candy. Varun Sri, a student at Eastern Middle School, said, “People should get to enjoy the night with friends and family. And, free candy!” According to Florida Today, more than 100 people agree with the fact that there should be no age cut-off for trick or treating. Even if they did not agree with this fact, they said, they wouldn’t say anything if an 18-year-old went to their door and collected candy. Some say that most teenagers stop dressing up when they reach 12-16, but they should still have the right to have fun and go trick or treating. Thus, we can never be too old for Halloween! What do you think?
Article by Emily Liu of Eastern Middle School
Graphic by Sophia Li of Takoma Park Middle School