# This blog uses the age range of young adults wrong **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 19, 2023, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-blog-uses-the-age-range-of-young-adults-wrong/993373 "2023-11-19T15:17:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Amber13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/amber13/32/13807_2.png) [@Amber13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amber13)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-blog-uses-the-age-range-of-young-adults-wrong/993373/1 "2023-11-19T15:17:54Z")
While there’s no general consensus of what age range of a young adult and an adult should be, I stumbled upon this blog saying that young adults are between 12 and 30, that’s very wrong because a person at the age 12 is pre-teen/child, not a young adult and is underaged, the actual young range of young adult is between the ages of 20-39 years old and the range for adults is 40-59 years old, I don’t like when articles get the age range of young adults and adults wrong, are they another reasons of why this blog got the age range wrong? here’s the link to the blog I stumbled upon on Google: [What Age Range Is Considered a Young Adult? | Cake Blog](https://www.joincake.com/blog/young-adult-age-range/) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-blog-uses-the-age-range-of-young-adults-wrong/993373/2 "2023-11-19T15:26:40Z")
> [@Amber13](#): > > I stumbled upon this blog saying that young adults are between 12 and 30 I think that the fact that a12 year old is capable of reproducing is part of what goes into labeling them as a young adult. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-blog-uses-the-age-range-of-young-adults-wrong/993373/3 "2023-11-19T15:31:01Z")
Definitions vary, but “young adults” seem to be defined mostly as being from the ages of 18-25 or so. Relatively few would characterize 35 to 39-year-olds as “young adults”. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-blog-uses-the-age-range-of-young-adults-wrong/993373/4 "2023-11-19T15:32:01Z")
The blog seems to do a very good job of explaining where those numbers come from and how they are used. ---
**Author:** ![Amber13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/amber13/32/13807_2.png) [@Amber13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amber13)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-blog-uses-the-age-range-of-young-adults-wrong/993373/5 "2023-11-19T15:32:33Z")
Yes, but a 12 year old is a pre-teen, not a young adult, just because they reproduce, doesn’t mean they are labelled as young adults. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-blog-uses-the-age-range-of-young-adults-wrong/993373/6 "2023-11-19T15:37:25Z")
It depends on the context. In literature, “young adult” means teenager. Go to the “young adult” section of your local library and you’ll see. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-blog-uses-the-age-range-of-young-adults-wrong/993373/7 "2023-11-19T15:38:35Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > In literature, “young adult” means teenager. Go to the “young adult” section of your local library and you’ll see. Which is how it is used in the post in question. ---
**Author:** ![Arjuna34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Arjuna34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arjuna34)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-blog-uses-the-age-range-of-young-adults-wrong/993373/8 "2023-11-19T15:39:42Z")
As Darron\_Garrison said, the blog goes into a lot of detail and reasons the phrase “adult” or “young adult” may refer to different groups in different contexts. It’s not defining what’s correct, it’s just discussing how those phrases are commonly used. From the blog: > ### According to popular culture > > In popular culture and in casual use, “young adult” is often a euphemism for a teenager or adolescent. > > The euphemistic use of the term “young adult” first appeared in the 20th century. There was a growing reluctance, during this time, to refer to adolescents as children, or even as teenagers. > > Instead, it was often preferable to emphasize an adolescent’s developing sense of adulthood and responsibility. You could do so by using terms like “young man,” young woman” or “young lady,” and “young adult.” > > In this euphemistic sense, the phrase “young adult” in popular culture typically refers to people in their teens: **aged 13 to 20.** > > ### According to libraries > > Another common usage of the term “young adult” is in the library category known as “young adult literature.” In fact, this is where many people first stumble upon the term “young adult” in the first place. > > Young adult literature targets readers **aged 12 to 18** and includes books like _Harry Potter_ , _The Fault in Our Stars_ , and _The Giver_ . If you’ve ever visited a library, you’ll know that the Young Adult Literature section is one of the most popular. But the category known as “young adult literature” is relatively new. > > The term “young adult” in reference to literature first appeared in 1957 when the American Library Association formed its own Young Adult Services Division. The new division focused on serving a newly-targeted population of “teenagers” (a term that first appeared in the 1930s) and “young adults.” ---
**Author:** ![Amber13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/amber13/32/13807_2.png) [@Amber13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amber13)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-blog-uses-the-age-range-of-young-adults-wrong/993373/9 "2023-11-19T15:43:05Z")
That’s very true, young adult does mean teeangers from 13-19, a person at age of 12 is a pre-teen, not a teenager, the term young adult is for teenagers, but not an actual adult, actual adults are from the ages of 20-39 years old and middle-aged adults are 40-59 years old. ---
**Author:** ![Amber13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/amber13/32/13807_2.png) [@Amber13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amber13)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-blog-uses-the-age-range-of-young-adults-wrong/993373/10 "2023-11-19T15:54:39Z")
A person is at the age of 20 is an actual adult, not a teenager, you would find it in popular culture for adults at the range from 20-29, but yes you are right, young adults are term for teenagers, but don’t use the term for actual adults between the ages of 20 or their thirty-somethings. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-blog-uses-the-age-range-of-young-adults-wrong/993373/11 "2023-11-19T17:12:24Z")
A 20 year old cannot legally drink and is still in school. I don’t think many people would consider them an “actual adult.” That’s pretty much the exact decision of “young adult.” ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-blog-uses-the-age-range-of-young-adults-wrong/993373/12 "2023-11-19T19:03:54Z")
IMHO, the 20-yo drinking limit is a weird American anomaly, and in what world 20-yo’s are in _school_? That’s Uni time. 20-yo’s go to war, kill people and have steamy sex on the leave. You know, adult things. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-blog-uses-the-age-range-of-young-adults-wrong/993373/13 "2023-11-19T19:27:31Z")
My impression is that young adult literature is read by people even younger than 12. Some people read the first Harry Potter book when they were 7. I think 12 is just chosen to say that some preteens do read young adult literature. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-blog-uses-the-age-range-of-young-adults-wrong/993373/14 "2023-11-19T19:37:49Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > 20-yo’s go to war, kill people and have steamy sex on the leave. You know, adult things. OTOH the saying is “A fool at forty is a fool for life”; at twenty they still give you the benefit of the doubt… ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-blog-uses-the-age-range-of-young-adults-wrong/993373/15 "2023-11-19T19:43:06Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > My impression is that young adult literature is read by people even younger than 12. Some people read the first Harry Potter book when they were 7. While I thought the OP’s linked article was mostly pretty good, I didn’t think that _Harry Potter_ was a particularly good example of “young adult” literature. The first couple of books, at least, seem to be aimed at readers younger than the 12-18 “young adult” age range (although of course people of all ages do read them), so they’d probably be considered “middle grade.” ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-blog-uses-the-age-range-of-young-adults-wrong/993373/16 "2023-11-19T19:49:43Z")
The way the English language works, it’s natural to interpret the phrase “young adult” as meaning a kind of adult (specifically, a young one), with the adjective “young” modifying the noun “adult.” But it doesn’t have to be interpreted that way. A junior high school is not a high school, and a vice president is not a president. ---
**Author:** ![Amber13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/amber13/32/13807_2.png) [@Amber13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amber13)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-blog-uses-the-age-range-of-young-adults-wrong/993373/17 "2023-11-19T19:54:44Z")
20 yr olds are at college, it’s the beginning of becoming an actual adult, many things in pop culture have adults at the ages of 20-29, but they can’t drink until they’re 21, they’re not teenagers, but they’re sometimes called kids by older adults due to how they look young. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-blog-uses-the-age-range-of-young-adults-wrong/993373/18 "2023-11-19T19:56:16Z")
> [@Toxylon](#): > > IMHO, the 20-yo drinking limit is a weird American anomaly, and in what world 20-yo’s are in _school_? In America, college students are 18-22 depending on birthdate. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-blog-uses-the-age-range-of-young-adults-wrong/993373/19 "2023-11-19T19:57:02Z")
Yes, which is why they are called “young adults”… ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2023, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-blog-uses-the-age-range-of-young-adults-wrong/993373/20 "2023-11-19T19:59:44Z")
My take on it is young adult is when there is some adult responsibility that the child is being asked to step up into and needs to step up into. As such I do feel it starts around 12 for certain aspects of their life and ends at around 18 where they must be a full adult by societal standards. I have found it was a turning point in child raising, where there are certain things where it is better for me to acknowledge kanickid’s adultness then to treat them as a child. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-blog-uses-the-age-range-of-young-adults-wrong/993373.md?page=2)