This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Patrick (talk | contribs) at 10:37, 20 February 2004 (parents losing power over the person concerned, parents losing financial responsibility,). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 10:37, 20 February 2004 by Patrick (talk | contribs) (parents losing power over the person concerned, parents losing financial responsibility,)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The term adult describes any mature organism, but normally it refers to a human: one that is no longer a child and is now either a man or a woman. Coming of age is the event of becoming an adult, i.e. of entering adulthood.
Legally it means that one can engage in a contract. The same or a different minimum age may be applicable for e.g. parents losing power over the person concerned, parents losing financial responsibility, marriage, voting, having a job, being a soldier, driving, travelling abroad, drinking alcoholic beverages (perhaps different ages for different categories), smoking, sex, being a prostitute (if legal at all), being a client of a prostitute, being a model or actor in pornography, etc.
The legal definition of entering adulthood varies between ages 17-21, depending on the region in question. Some cultures in Africa define adult at age 13, but most other civilizations consider this the teenager stage.
Often the age is 18. Exceptions:
20: Japan.
"Adult" also means "not considered suitable for children", in particular as euphemism for being related to sexual behaviour, e.g. adult entertainment, adult video, adult magazine, adult bookstore.