To refer to 17 year olds as 'children'?

17 year olds are almost adults too

toffeeandcream

RE. to your midwife being under 25. I started my midwifery training at 22 completing it at 23 years.I had just qualified as a nurse before that at 21.

I still refer to my now two middle-aged sons as ''my children'' when in general conversation.One of them is now a grandfather, he was married at 19 and became a father before he was 20.

I wouldn’t refer to a 17 year old as a child, even if it is legally correct.

With my group of friends when referring to our children we say “the kids” as in our kids,

I don’t think I’ve ever had cause to refer to someone sith a label but I’d. It say child I’d say older teen or young adult. Young folks deserve as much respect as older.

Apologies OP, my example was just an example to illustrate why I think context matters when people are choosing which term to use and that the term they choose tends to reflect their worldview.

I should have chosen a better one.

For example, when a poster is disgusted at the idea of their 17 year old having to do any chores because 'they're a child' then child is being said probably as part of keeping the 17 year old young and the poster probably babies their 17 year old. But I've also seen posts where parents justify charging their 16/17 year olds to live at home and they quite deliberately choose to ignore the fact that a 16/17 year old is legally a child, and is in full time education or training and those posters will typically avoid any reference to child because it would mean acknowledging they're charging a child to live in the family home.

I certainly wouldn't use "child" to describe a 16 or 17 year old. I just don't think the term describes that age group.

I don't see an issue with it; your children will always be your children. My parents and in-laws still refer to me (25) and my partner (29) as 'the kids / children' and I have no problem with it at all, and we're having a baby of our own soon

I don’t know.

My children will all still be in high school when they’re legally adults (they’ll be 18 their entire senior year) but since they’ll still be in school, they’ll still feel like “children”? I don’t know.

Legally they're a child at 17, but it's know people don't fully mature until mid 20s.

When people say children vs young person would depend on context and sometimes the language used says a lot about the person's view.

Trigger warning - CSE

For example on a current thread about grooming and trafficking 17 year old children around the world for the purposes of abuse, I'd say it's fairly clear that that 17 year old minor is a child. Unfortunately some people seem to object to this because a 17 year olds is apparently very worldly and lots of 17 year olds have sex and it's all a big grey area.The refusal to view victims as children is generally hand in hand with trying to discredit the women who have come forward.

According to the law in England they are still a child, and regarded as a juvenile for the purposes of criminal offences until 18.

I do agree it is tricky territory though, as they can do various things at sixteen, and often feel as if they are adults, but certain things they can't do until eighteen.

According to the United Nations protocols they are not adults until eighteen.

If it was my child then I think that’s fine, but I work with students aged 16-21 and honestly if I called them children they’d revolt 😂

I say young woman/young man but you will always be your parents child

No person of 17 will appreciate being called a child, even if their behaviour is totally childish. OTOH I’m 68 and have no problem with being described as elderly, because I am (despite still being fitter, stronger and healthier than many younger people I know - but I’m less strong, fit and healthy than I used to be, which is what matters).

In most European countries adulthood begins at 18 not 16. Young person covers the 16-24 range.

Not sure but my mother still calls me and my siblings “the kids” and we are all the wrong side of 30 🤣.

When I was seventeen I was living away from home at university, working part time, paying my own bills etc, as were various of my friends. I'll confess I'd have a hard time considering myself a child in that context!

Well you can married at the age of 16 but legally if you were to be arrested you would be afforded the rights of a child if you are under 18.

But its an interesting topic. Op I think I know what you've seen in the media and I wish (even though legally she is still classed as a child) she would be addressed as a young teenager because in my opinion calling her a child is turning people off from what's really happened - as a lot of people won't see her as one so feel that the story has been exaggerated.

Most people don't see 17 year olds as children, many people on here let their dc have sex in their house from the age of 15/16 (to create a 'safe' space)

So if 17 year olds are still classed as children, why are people letting 'kids' that are younger have sex in their house?

As a society we have to have clear guidelines, if they are classed as children under 18 then the legal consent to sex has to be raised to 18 OR lower the definition of adult to 16 ( the current legal age for sex)

I'd be in favour of raising it.

I had left home, was working full time and paying rent at 17. I definitely don’t consider 17 to be a child.

It’s funny to think that as a ‘child’ of 17 I was driving myself to my full time job looking after people’s bank accounts and serving them as a cashier .

Young adult is over eighteen.
They are children and should have the support and protection afforded to children.

My friends and I all have offspring in their late teens and early twenties...without exception they are referred to as ' the kids '
Only formal settings refer to them as young adults.

For me, a 17 year old isn't a child, they are a young adult. I would imagine most 17 year olds would be offended to be called a child.

Our school calls students young people. That seems an accurate description.

This of course was a long time ago when the earliest age you could leave school was 13, so you were classed as an adult then.

No you weren’t. There were just plenty of children in the workforce and that was normal then. You weren’t legally an adult till age 21, though I doubt anyone would have referred to a 20 year old as a child.