Teens should not trick-or-treat

https://wwmt.com/news/events/2018-trick-or-treat-times-across-west-michigan

As Trick-or-Treat night approaches, many people prepare their costumes and get ready. But, should teens be allowed to trick-or-treat?

Sonia Yost, Reporter
October 30, 2019

As many children around the country prepare for Halloween, the age-old question arises, when should people stop trick-or-treating?

Once a person hits high school, he or she should stop trick-or-treating. Going trick-or-treating is an activity for kids, and yes, legally, teens are still kids, it is not reasonable to compare the plight of an 8-year-old wanting to get some candy to that of a 17-year-old. Teens can continue to dress up if they wish, but they shouldn’t be asking their neighbors for candy. They have the ability to drive and get a job. If someone is truly that desperate to get some candy, they can wait till Nov. 1 for those post-Halloween candy discounts.

However, there are certain exceptions to this rule. For example, if a senior is taking their 7-year-old sister out, then yes it is acceptable for him or her to be out. Or if, say, there is a specific event organized by a school or church that is meant for the teen age group, then yes go.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, parents who take their children who are below the age of two should also not be trick-or-treating. Seeing children in strollers facing the cold just so that their parents can get a Twix bar is never fun. That child isn’t cognitively aware of where they are or what they’re doing, but go ahead and say that it is being done for them.

Now, I’m not saying that I won’t give the people who come to my door some candy, by all means, curb my sugar addiction, but I will give someone the side-eye if I recognize him or her from school.

Defenders of teens going trick-or-treating will say that it’s a way for them to be involved in the community or that they could be doing something worse with their time, so I should be glad that they are here and not doing whatever else. But I mean, c’mon. We all know they aren’t there to be “involved in the community,” they’re there for the candy. Furthermore, going trick-or-treating isn’t going to be the thing that deters them from doing whatever they had planned. At most, it will delay their plans by one night.

High-schoolers should not go trick-or-treating because it is not an activity that is meant for them. There are plenty of other activities teens can participate in on Oct. 31, but going trick-or-treating should not be one of them.