Editing Adolescence (section)

====General issues====
[[File:2009-04-13 Cherry Pie sign.jpg|thumb|A sign outside a sex shop reads "Must Be 18 To Enter" in [[Chapel Hill, North Carolina]].]]
Adolescence is a period frequently marked by increased rights and privileges for individuals. While cultural variation exists for legal rights and their corresponding ages, considerable consistency is found across cultures. Furthermore, since the advent of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989 (children here defined as under 18), almost every country in the world (except the U.S. and South Sudan) has legally committed to advancing an anti-discriminatory stance towards young people of all ages. This includes protecting children against unchecked [[child labor]], enrollment in the military, prostitution, and pornography.
In many societies, those who reach a certain age (often 18, though this varies) are considered to have reached the [[age of majority]] and are legally regarded as [[adults]] who are responsible for their actions. People below this age are considered [[Minor (law)|minors]] or children. A person below the age of majority may gain adult rights through [[Emancipation of minors|legal emancipation]].

The [[legal working age]] in Western countries is usually 14 to 16, depending on the number of hours and type of employment under consideration. Many countries also specify a minimum [[school leaving age]], at which a person is legally allowed to leave [[compulsory education]]. This age varies greatly cross-culturally, spanning from 10 to 18, which further reflects the diverse ways formal education is viewed in cultures around the world.

In most democratic countries, a citizen is [[Voting age|eligible to vote]] at age 18. In a minority of countries, the voting age is as low as 16 (for example, Brazil), and at one time was as high as 25 in [[Uzbekistan]].

The [[age of consent]] to sexual activity varies widely between jurisdictions, ranging from 12 to 20 years, as does the [[marriageable age|age at which people are allowed to marry]].<ref name="ageofconsent">{{cite web |url=http://www.ageofconsent.com/ageofconsent.htm |title=Ageofconsent.com |publisher=Ageofconsent.com |access-date=September 15, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023184559/http://www.ageofconsent.com/ageofconsent.htm |archive-date=October 23, 2012 }}</ref> Specific legal ages for adolescents that also vary by culture are enlisting in the military, gambling, and the purchase of [[alcoholic beverage|alcohol]], cigarettes or items with parental advisory labels.
The legal coming of age often does not correspond with the sudden realization of autonomy; many adolescents who have legally reached adult age are still dependent on their guardians or peers for emotional and financial support. Nonetheless, new legal privileges converge with shifting social expectations to usher in a phase of heightened independence or social responsibility for most legal adolescents.